The City of Cape Town has expanded its waste recycling collection service in Sea Point to include Green Point, Mouille Point and Three Anchor Bay.

The expansion follows the success of a pilot project in which recyclables were collected from approximately 100 residential complexes in Sea Point. For 18 months, residents worked in partnership with the City to separate their waste into recyclable and non-recyclable components. The project proved so popular that the City has appointed two companies, Mandla Recycling and Salt River Recycling to assist with the running of the service. Both companies will work with the City on a contract basis until 31 July next year.

At present the expanded service is for businesses, hotels, residential complexes and blocks of flats. Plans have been made provide a drop off site for recyclables for private homeowners next year. Both companies can be contacted directly for information about the methods and benefits of recycling.

Their details are:

Salt River Recycling
Tel 021 511 5925

Mandla Recycling
Tel 021 409 1226

Alternatively, the City of Cape Town can also be contacted via:
Tel 086 010 3089
Fax 021 400 4302
E-mail wastewise.user@capetown.gov.za

The service is a small, but vital effort in helping to divert waste away from Cape Town’s landfills. Currently, Cape Town produces five to six thousand tons of waste per day - to which each individual contributes an average of two kilograms - and the City is fast running out of suitable landfill sites.

At the moment there are only three landfill sites in Cape Town - Vissershok, Bellville and Coastal Park near Muizenberg. All are close to their maximum holding capacity. Such is the rate at which Capetonians are producing waste that a site that used to take 20 years to fill now takes only half that time.

Of this waste, only 14% is recycled. Up to 80% of the waste that each person produces per day is recyclable, meaning that only 20% should be going to landfills. Recyclable waste includes plastic, glass, tin, metal, cardboard, paper, polystyrene and tetrapack.