FINAL REPORT: CE & BIOVALSA TRADE MISSION TO CAPE TOWN 22-25 MAY 2018

This report details a trade mission from the Netherlands to Cape Town, South Africa, held from May 22-25, 2018. Organized by GreenCape in cooperation with the Netherlands Government, the mission focused on the circular economy and biomass valorisation, specifically targeting organic wet streams, invasive species, construction and demolition waste, plastics, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

• The trade mission was part of a broader G2G (Government to Government) Waste Economy and Biomass Valorisation project (2016-2018) designed to help the South African government and private sector develop their waste economy and biomass valorisation using Dutch experience. The Netherlands reported a stabilized recycling rate of 81% for all waste streams and 52% for household waste in 2013, aiming for 'zero' landfill.
• Field visits identified specific opportunities for Dutch technology and know-how in South Africa. New Horizons Energy and Reliance Compost were identified as candidates for technology supply, while the Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) sector requires the development of crushing standards and the supply of crushing technology.
• New Horizons Energy, a waste management facility in Athlone, Cape Town, can convert approximately 500 tons per day (about 7% of Cape Town's waste), though it is not currently operating at full potential. It currently processes 25 tons per day of organic waste, which is sold as slurry to AgriProtein.
• Cape Brick uses a profitable business model by utilizing builders' rubble as a secondary material to reduce input costs compared to virgin materials. However, the company notes a need for national or regional quality standards to increase client trust and mature the market for secondary materials.
• Reliance Compost, one of the Western Cape's largest green waste composting facilities, processes 60MT per annum primarily from Cape Town garden waste. The facility has plans to incorporate an anaerobic digester with a 5MWe output.
• During sector workshops, participants discussed the Dutch approach to waste management, noting that landfill bans were coupled with municipal taxes to increase the cost of disposal, which made alternative treatment technologies more viable. It was suggested that funds from such levies and taxes should be reinvested into the sector.
• A business case competition evaluated proposals based on market perspective, sustainability, and collaboration opportunities with Dutch partners. The top-ranked proposal was Inseco, which focuses on small-scale valorisation of organic residues to produce insect-derived animal feed. The second and third ranks were a tie between a joint proposal by iLive and New Carbon (focused on solid biomass and invasive species) and Y-waste (compost-based organic waste treatment).

APA

GreenCape (2018). FINAL REPORT: CE & BIOVALSA TRADE MISSION TO CAPE TOWN 22-25 MAY 2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/Biovalsa-and-CE-Mission-Netherlands-22-25-May-Final-Report3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. FINAL REPORT: CE & BIOVALSA TRADE MISSION TO CAPE TOWN 22-25 MAY 2018. 2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/Biovalsa-and-CE-Mission-Netherlands-22-25-May-Final-Report3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=FINAL REPORT: CE & BIOVALSA TRADE MISSION TO CAPE TOWN 22-25 MAY 2018 |date=20 June 2018 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/Biovalsa-and-CE-Mission-Netherlands-22-25-May-Final-Report3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2018final, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{FINAL REPORT: CE \& BIOVALSA TRADE MISSION TO CAPE TOWN 22-25 MAY 2018}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/Biovalsa-and-CE-Mission-Netherlands-22-25-May-Final-Report3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }