South Africa stands at a critical crossroads in its approach to waste management. We generate an estimated 122 million tonnes of waste every year, but only about 10–16% is recycled1, so it goes without saying that we face a mounting environmental and social crisis.
Landfills across municipalities are overwhelmed, many operating beyond compliance, while informal waste pickers labour on the margins with little formal support.
The 2018 Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) State of Waste Report revealed only 11% recycling amid landfill saturation2. Updated figures show worsening trends, with many landfills exceeding capacity, regulatory backlogs delaying new sites, and informal recycling sectors largely unacknowledged in policy implementation.
Yet, informal waste pickers are responsible for processing over 80% of South Africa’s recycled materials, which is an extraordinary contribution to the economy and environment. Despite this, they remain marginalised and unsupported, operating in unsafe, unstable conditions.
This is no longer just a municipal challenge but a national emergency demanding innovative, inclusive, and scalable solutions.
At a national level, goals are reflected in South Africa’s Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, which emphasise resource efficiency, job creation, and circularity – clearly linking sustainability, urban; regeneration; and economic inclusion.
As we chart our path forward, we need to reimagine the role of cities, communities, and informal workers in building a circular economy.
Transformative recycling models needed
Regenerative efforts are taking place, like Johannesburg’s multi-billion-rand infrastructure investments, including smart meters and expanded recycling, and its urban greening initiatives. Similarly, pan-African cities like Addis Ababa have showcased corridor development and green legacy projects as scalable, sustainable urban transformation models.
In the Western Cape, Bellville is pioneering a transformative model with national and even global relevance. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) with the Trolley and Recycling Project has become a ‘living lab’, an urban ecosystem where waste management, social empowerment, public-private partnership, and design thinking converge to produce tangible impact.
Since its launch in 2019, GTP’s Trolley and Recycling project has become more than a recycling initiative, it has evolved from providing upgraded trolleys for waste pickers to a buy-back centre that integrates informal recyclers into formal markets. The initiative processes over 113,000 kilograms of recyclables annually and has generated over R100,000 in sales in the past year alone.
To address both the environmental and social crisis we are facing, waste management models must provide opportunity for economic inclusion and job creation. By providing daily stipends, safety-conscious equipment, training, and formal market access, waste pickers are then empowered to become entrepreneurs rather than informal scavengers.
This fosters human dignity, improves safety, and transforms livelihoods, offering a social infrastructure blueprint that the nation desperately needs.
Scaling models nationally
Scaling a model like the one in Bellville means not only replicating infrastructure but also embedding informal workers in formal systems, a major national policy challenge. It offers a bridge between social justice and environmental sustainability.
Multi-sector partnerships are critical to scalability. Collaboration between NGOs, local government, the private sector, and community actors breaks down silos and leverages diverse strengths. An integrated, multi-stakeholder approach with GTP, MES Cape Town, GreenCape, Petco, and local government demonstrates how collaboration can overcome fragmented systems and policy inertia.
To scale effectively, recycling solutions also require design thinking - considering safety, capacity, co-ordinated collection routes, and digitising data to track the impact and sales. This approach is vital for reimagining informal economies as dignified, efficient, and integral parts of urban life.
Circular economy adoption
South Africa stands to gain R130 billion by 2050 through circular economy adoption, according to the WWF’s Economic Case for Circular Plastics in Africa.
We need to embrace circularity and move South Africa from a linear, wasteful economic system toward one where materials circulate and value is maximised. Yet, realising this potential requires more buy-back centres, formal sector integration, and community-driven innovation.
Alignment with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is key. EPR mandates that producers take responsibility for the lifecycle of their products, incentivising waste reduction and recycling. Bellville’s buy-back centre exemplifies how localised collection points can activate EPR, reducing landfill strain and generating economic opportunity.
The Bellville Trolley and Recycling Project was nationally recognised with Petco’s Kerbside Collection and Sorting Superhero Award. This validates the model as a leader in sustainable urban change. It proves that systemic transformation is possible, showing how inclusive urban regeneration, social empowerment, and a circular economy can turn South Africa’s waste crisis into a driver of development.
Bellville’s success is a microcosm of what can be achieved nationally if urban centres embrace circular economy principles with community-led approaches.
If Bellville can do it, so can South Africa, along with cities across Africa, and beyond.
Author credit: Warren Hewitt, CEO of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership
Photo credit: Framed by Claire Photography