wood_greencape_resilience-report_interactive_20190802-3-d2293941fbb6a52d.pdf

This case study examines how the City of Cape Town, in partnership with GreenCape’s Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP), uses industrial symbiosis to improve wood recycling and build economic resilience. The initiative focuses on diverting wood waste from landfills and reducing reliance on virgin materials and imported coal by integrating waste streams back into the manufacturing economy.

• The City of Cape Town faces a critical shortage of landfill space, making the diversion of woody materials to industries capable of adding value a priority to avoid the expense of constructing new landfills.
• South Africa's total plantation area is decreasing due to both planned decommissioning of uneconomical areas and unplanned disruptions such as fires and natural disasters, which creates risks across the entire wood supply chain.
• Industrial symbiosis is used in the Western Cape to substitute expensive coal imported from northern regions with waste biomass and wood resources, which reduces logistical costs and improves business resilience.
• WISP has facilitated several specific wood recycling synergies: broken pallets are refurbished into new pallets or furniture; saw dust and wood chips are used by composters, biomass boiler operators for refuse derived fuel (RDF), and clay brick manufacturers to create lighter, more porous bricks with better insulation.
• Waste-to-energy initiatives are employed to remove alien invasive plants from the environment, which protects biodiversity and water resources, while the resulting ash and chars are used in agriculture as soil conditioners or for nutrient value.
• Treated wood remains a significant challenge for recycling due to glues and chemicals that pose health and environmental risks during combustion; WISP is currently seeking solutions for treated wood disposal and more eco-friendly preservation chemicals.
• A specific case study of a pallet manufacturer shows that switching from virgin timber to broken and used pallets led to major cost savings, the employment of three additional permanent staff, and the diversion of waste from landfills.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). wood_greencape_resilience-report_interactive_20190802-3-d2293941fbb6a52d.pdf. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Wood_GreenCape_Resilience-Report_Interactive_20190802-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. wood_greencape_resilience-report_interactive_20190802-3-d2293941fbb6a52d.pdf. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Wood_GreenCape_Resilience-Report_Interactive_20190802-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=wood_greencape_resilience-report_interactive_20190802-3-d2293941fbb6a52d.pdf |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Wood_GreenCape_Resilience-Report_Interactive_20190802-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendwoodgreencaperesiliencereportinteractive201908023d2293941fbb6a52dpdf, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{wood\_greencape\_resilience-report\_interactive\_20190802-3-d2293941fbb6a52d.pdf}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Wood_GreenCape_Resilience-Report_Interactive_20190802-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }