NCPC beneficiary empowers Limpopo cooperative with waste recycling skills

The National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC-SA), Industrial Symbiosis Programme has seen multi-layered impact as one of its beneficiary companies has now supported another community to empower a waste recycling cooperative. Waste management champion, Dziphathu Green Tech has transferred green skills to a local community cooperative, empowering them to create value from plastic waste materials.

NCPC-SA originally assisted Dziphathu Green Tech in 2021/22 which resulted in the organisation receiving a Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme funding worth US$30,000.

The Dziphathu Green Tech provided expert advice, training, and skills on waste plastic processing to the NakisaniVhupho Development Primary Cooperative after their participation at NCPC-SA’s waste minimisation workshop, Limpopo Industrial Symbiosis Programme (ISP) in October 2022.

The cooperative was established in 2021 by community members from the Vuwani Vyeboom village to address poverty through the promotion of economic empowerment opportunities by sustainable waste management practices. They achieved this by collecting plastic bottle waste that would otherwise end up in landfills and use it to manufacture plastic brooms.

Managed by Phathutshedzo Mudau, Dziphathu Green Tech built and commissioned the plastic waste processing machine to the cooperative as part of the training and skills transfer process. The plastic bottles are then washed, cut into strips and tied to a wooden stick with steel material to make a broom. The finished product is then sold at R50.00 to surrounding community members as well as environmental related trade shows and events.

To date, the Cooperative has successfully diverted 84 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill, reduced 858.7 tonnes of CO₂GHG emissions and generated R105000 in income and created employment for the 28 members. Proceeds of the sales have been invested into acquiring a formal operating premises for the business.

Government partnership

ISP in Limpopo has been a successful partnership project between the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) since 2016. The programme has played a key role in the establishment and growth of the green economy through the facilitation of waste or resource exchanges.

From 2019 to date, NCPC-SA and LEDET partnership has completed 50 synergies, 54 831 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill, 234 454, 7 tonnes CO₂ emissions reduction, 45 permanent jobs created, and 22 temporary jobs created.

Including Limpopo, the NCPC-SA implements the IS Programme in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Free State. To find out more about the programme, email us at ncpc@csir.co.za.