Criminal elements mingle with real bin pickers, such as this elderly man. Photo: Marnette Meyer

Calls for bins to be kept inside properties until the morning of garbage collection are still being ignored, says the Community Police Forum.

Late night activity
A link has being made between the bins that are left out and criminal elements gaining access to properties. A woman confronted three groups of bin pickers rummaging through a bin outside the house of a neighbour last Wednesday between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am. The groups were comprised of men and women. When asked where they live, the bin pickers answered, ‘in Atlantis.’

Some break-ins have been linked to bin pickers or to criminals posing as bin pickers. Karen Dreyer, head of the Melkbosstrand Community Center, urges people wanting to assist the poor to do so by going through existing channels such as the Melkbosstrand Community Centre, Rotary charity shop and the ACVV .