Collection teams not ‘wasting’ time this festive season
27 November 2025
The City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management (UWM) Directorate has activated its festive season readiness plan to ensure that waste collection services continue reliably from November 2025 through January 2026 – including on all public holidays.
To ensure uninterrupted service despite the increased waste volumes, heavy traffic and ongoing safety and security concerns, UWM has implemented a comprehensive operational plan designed to ensure service continuity as far as possible. Contractors have also been required to submit contingency plans to address the most common festive-season disruptions.
Key readiness measures
1. Staffing
Ensuring sufficient staffing during peak season is essential. Therefore:
- Strict leave protocols are in place.
- Leave is staggered to ensure maximum staff are present.
- Intensified operational oversight to identify and address gaps quickly, including the rapid deployment of temporary staff.
- Additional capacity secured through EPWP teams, labour brokers and temporary workers to ensure 80% staff availability throughout the period.
2. Fleet readiness
Reliable fleet availability remains a cornerstone of service continuity.
- Ensuring a minimum of 130 collection vehicles are available daily.
- Daily monitoring of fleet deployment will enable rapid responses to mechanical failures or increased demand.
3. Routes and events
- Alternative routes have been mapped to maintain continuity in areas impacted by major events or roadworks.
- High-traffic and tourism-heavy zones have been prioritised to reduce delays caused by congestion.
What residents need to know
While every effort has been made to avoid disruptions, certain factors, such as gang-related incidents or periods when security escorts are unavailable, may occasionally affect scheduled services.
If your bin is not collected on the scheduled day:
- Leave your bin out until 21:00.
- If still uncollected, place it out again early the next morning.
- Report missed collections using any of these channels:
Additional reminders:
‘Our priority is to keep Cape Town clean throughout the festive season. Through careful planning and strengthened contingency measures, we are ready to manage the seasonal spike in waste and ensure continued, reliable collection of wheelie bins.
‘We are also calling on residents to assist by reducing waste where possible, especially through recycling and home composting,’ said Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management.
Captions: City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management (UWM) Directorate has activated its festive season readiness plan, ensuring staff and fleet are operating at full steam, so that waste collection services continue reliably until the end of January.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
