The Tshwane Municipality has announced a new monthly waste collection fee of R194, which will apply to certain properties starting 1 July 2025, if the budget is approved.
New waste fee targets gated estates and malls
This new charge, called the City Cleansing Tariff, is part of the city’s draft budget for the 2025/2026 financial year.
The tariff will apply to properties that do not already have a municipal waste account but which still make use of the city’s landfill services.
This mostly affects shopping malls and gated communities that use private companies to collect their garbage instead of relying on the municipality.
At a media briefing in Pretoria, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Agriculture, Obakeng Ramabodu, explained the reasoning.
He said the city was spending large amounts of money to manage landfill sites, and it was unfair for private waste collectors to dump rubbish at these sites without contributing financially.
“We are targeting gated communities. We are targeting malls,” Ramabodu said.
“There are malls we have identified that are on our books. They only have one bin, but when you go to check on site, they have a hundred. They only pay us for one, and the rest they use private [collectors].”
What this means for residents
If passed, the R194 per month fee will be added to properties that meet these conditions:
- Property is valued at more than R250,000
- No existing municipal waste account
- Uses private waste collectors whose rubbish is still ending up at city-managed landfill sites
This does not mean every household will pay the fee. It is meant for businesses and households — like those in upmarket estates — that have chosen to use private services but still rely on the city’s infrastructure to dispose of their trash.
In simple terms: If you don’t have a municipal bin but your rubbish still goes to a city landfill, the city wants you to help pay for the cost of running those landfill sites.
The municipality says this is about fairness and recovering costs, not punishment. The budget will still need to go through public consultation before it is finalized. If approved, the City Cleansing Tariff will start on 1 July 2025.
