The City of Cape Town has once again cautioned residents on purchasing blue refuse bags off the street, as this could see a person face criminal charges.
“These bags are clearly marked as City property and are used for area cleaning, illegal dumping, street sweeping, litter picking and the green litter bins. Any person caught to be unlawfully in possession of these blue bags can be criminally charged and prosecuted,” the City indicated in a statement.
According to the COCT, these City-branded blue refuse bags are illegal and are not intended for sale to the public.
“The City has added a penalty clause to the Tenders for cleansing, which penalises the contractor financially for every stolen bag recovered that was originally issued to them. Reference numbers printed on the bag allow the City to identify which contractor is responsible,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.
If found guilty of possessing these stolen refuse bags, a fine of R5000 will be handed down.
“Corruption and theft is a phenomenon that must be stopped. We are obligated to prevent this so that ratepayers and residents can receive the highest quality services possible,” the statement continued.
Alderman Twigg has also urged residents to report the sale of these bags as “the theft of these bags means that they are being resold which in turn has a knock-on effect on service delivery.”
- Report the theft of stolen refuse bags to the City on 0860 103 089.
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Picture: The City of Cape Town