The new look Retreat drop off facility is bigger, more user friendly and traffic congestion at the entrance has been resolved. Alderman Xanthea Limberg, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, visited the facility days after it opened.
The City of Cape Town’s Solid Waste Management Department is pleased to announce that upgrades at the Retreat drop-off facility are complete, and residents are encouraged to visit the facility to enjoy the new design, which allows for a much smoother offloading experience.
The facility has more than doubled in size, and vehicles entering the site are directed along a circular one-way route along an elevated platform, with waste-type specific containers alongside the route for easier access and flow. Once waste has been offloaded, vehicles can proceed toward the exit point and back onto the road.
‘The new design not only makes for a more efficient and user-friendly customer experience, but also addresses one of the biggest challenges of the previous layout, being traffic congestion on the road at the facility’s access point. Whereas waiting vehicles used to bottleneck on the narrow 10th Avenue, the entrance point has been moved further back and away from the road, offering a sizeable apron to accommodate vehicles making use of the facility and minimising impact for neighbouring residents and other road users,’ said Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste.
In addition to the improved layout, the recycling component at the facility has been enhanced. A large storage area for recyclable materials offers a dedicated, sheltered space in which these waste types can be sorted in a more organised and efficient system.
Security facilities and offices have also been upgraded, providing both customers and staff with the resources necessary to enjoy a safe, clean, and professional utility service experience. The project took approximately 18 months to complete at a cost of R21,5 million.
‘This drop-off serves a catchment that has a particularly active informal recycling sector, with many small independent businesses making use of the economic value of waste types. It was especially important to enhance this facility to further encourage and support these customers. We are now able to receive and process more of every waste type managed at the facility,’ said Alderman Limberg.
With the move to Level 2 lockdown, City drop-off facilities have expanded operating times, staying open later from Monday to Saturday and operating on Sundays and public holidays.
Water and Waste Portfolio Chairperson Alderman Clive Justus and ward councillors Shanen Rossouw and Kevin Southgate were also part of the site visit.
Operating times
Monday to Saturday: 09:30 to 17:00
Sundays and Public Holidays
09:00 to 13:00
The waste types accepted at the facility are listed below: Loads of up to 1,5 tons (average size bakkie load) are accepted free of charge.
| GARAGE WASTE | CLEAN BUILDER’S RUBBLE | CLEAN
GARDEN WASTE |
RECYCLABLES |
| Residents only | All users | Residents and garden service/landscaping companies
(No chipping services currently available) |
All users |
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, a strict ‘no mask, no entry rule’ is in place at all City facilities. All visitors to our disposal facilities will be subjected to screening.
Logging service requests:
Residents are encouraged to submit service requests for Solid Waste Management using the following channels:
- Call Center: 0860 103 089
- Online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests/
- Email: Wastewise@capetown.gov.za
For more information on City services, including revenue offices, please visit this link.