CAPE TOWN – A pioneering waste-recycling initiative in Bellville, Cape Town is being hailed as a potential solution to South Africa’s unemployment crisis after winning both national and international recognition.
The Greater Tygerberg Partnership’s (GTP) Buy-Back Centre has been recognised by the recycling collection company Petco PRO South Africa and the International Downtown Association (IDA) internationally for its innovative approach to tackling waste management and joblessness simultaneously.
With nearly 32% of South Africans unemployed the initiative demonstrates how innovation and inclusion can create meaningful economic and environmental change.
Launched in 2019 as part of the Trolley and Recycling Project, the centre offers homeless and unemployed individuals a structured pathway to earning a living through recycling. What started as a small-scale effort has evolved into an internationally-recognised model of urban regeneration and social empowerment.
In the past year alone the initiative processed more than 113 000 kg of recyclables and created 23 jobs for previously homeless or unemployed individuals. Each receives daily stipends alongside access to training, life-skills development and addiction-recovery support through partners, including MES Cape Town and Green Cape.
The programme formalises South Africa’s informal waste economy, where approximately 80% of post-consumer waste is processed by thousands of waste pickers who typically earn minimal returns for their efforts.
Electric vehicles boost efficiency
The addition of South Africa’s first electric-waste collection vehicles in 2024 has further enhanced efficiency while reducing carbon emissions. The electric vehicles link waste pickers to formal recycling markets, ensuring they earn more for their collections.
Today more than 180 local businesses and schools in Bellville participate in the recycling network, helping build a cleaner city and a more inclusive economy.
The project earned Petco’s “Kerbside Collection and Sorting Superhero” Award for its community-driven approach to separation-at-source. Internationally, it received the IDA Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence, placing Bellville alongside leading global cities recognised for innovative urban management.
Warren Hewitt, CEO of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, believed the recognition presented an opportunity to scale the model’s impact.
“Bellville faces such challenges as poverty, unemployment and waste overload, which mirror those of many cities across South Africa,” he said. “This model proves that through collaboration among communities, government and the private sector we can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth, dignity and sustainability.”
Scalable solution
The centre’s success stems from multi-sector partnerships bridging informal workers, municipalities, NGOs and private enterprises. Through collaboration with organisations, including the Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District, MES Cape Town, Green Cape and eWASA, the GTP has built a financially-viable, socially-inclusive and environmentally-restorative model.
“What makes this model remarkable is its adaptability,” Hewitt added. “It works just as effectively in a dense urban centre like Bellville as it could in smaller towns or rural districts.”
The low-cost electric collection vehicles, community partnerships and skills development framework make the model scalable without requiring large municipal budgets, offering hope for regions across South Africa grappling with similar challenges.
