Love food and hate waste this year

28 January 2024

The City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management Directorate would like to urge residents to explore composting and food gardening in 2024 to help divert food waste from landfills.

The City of Cape Town's Urban Waste Management Directorate urges residents to embark on a journey of self-sufficiency in 2024, by implementing home composting systems and using the compost to grow food. Food gardening not only contributes to personal well-being, but also plays a crucial role in reducing organic waste and its impact on climate change.

Disposing of organic waste in landfills releases harmful greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming. By taking a simple yet impactful step of installing a composting system, residents can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, even more so if the compost is used to make nutrient-rich soil and grow food.  

In order to increase composting in Cape Town, the City distributes a limited number of home composting containers every year. Residents can view the schedule for rollout here (the page will be updated with the details of the next planned rollout in coming weeks). If you are not able to attend one of the roll-out events to obtain a free container this should not be an issue as containers are commonly available for purchase at most retailers where garden supplies are sold, or otherwise they can be purchased online.

To assist residents in starting this journey we recommend consulting the following resources:

• capetown.gov.za/Family and home/Greener-living/Green-gardening-and-eating/Start-a-food-garden
• capetown.gov.za/Family and home/greener-living/green-gardening-and-eating/what-to-grow-in-your-food-garden
• CCT_Smart_Living_Handbook.pdf (capetown.gov.za) (see page 145-152)
  

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office