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The document examines the role of FoodForward SA as a trusted intermediary in South Africa's food supply chain, using a circular economy lens to divert surplus food from landfills to those in need. It highlights the economic and environmental drivers for food rescue in Cape Town, such as high landfill fees and provincial organic waste diversion targets. In 2020/21, FoodForward SA redistributed approximately 7,215 tonnes of food nationally, with specific impacts in Cape Town including the saving of 8,592 tonnes of GHG emissions and the creation of R45 million in retail value from rescued food.

The document outlines the scale of food loss and waste in South Africa, noting that 27% of produced and imported food was wasted in 2011. It emphasizes a shift in the Western Cape toward mandatory organic waste diversion from landfills by 2027. The brief identifies key drivers for beneficiation, such as the Carbon Tax Act and Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, while detailing barriers including lack of source separation and liability fears regarding food donations. It proposes 29 solutions across prevention, recovery, and recycling categories and advocates for the adoption of the World Resource Institute's FLW Standard for better data recording.

The document argues that recycling nutrients from organic waste streams is essential for rural-urban sustainability and global food security. It identifies the liquid phase of anaerobic digestate as a concentrated nutrient source and highlights struvite precipitation and ammonia stripping as promising recovery technologies that, when combined with anaerobic digestion, provide both renewable energy and plant nutrients.

The UrbanCircle project, an initiative by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), focuses on transforming urban waste streams—including wastewater, excreta, and food waste—into valuable products like fertilisers, biogas, and dry fuels. Using the Naivasha sub-county in Kenya as an initial study site, the project employs a three-step process: inventorying waste and demand, co-developing future scenarios with stakeholders, and using the REVAMP (Resource Value Mapping) tool to estimate economic costs and benefits. The initiative argues that shifting from a linear to a circular economy can reduce environmental degradation, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and create new business opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

The United States produces over 70 million tons of organic waste annually, yet utilizes less than 20 percent of its biogas potential. By employing anaerobic digestion to process livestock manure, food waste, and crop residues, the U.S. could add 13,500 new biogas systems, creating over 350,000 total jobs and significantly reducing methane emissions. Biogas can be used for on-site heat and power or refined into renewable natural gas (RNG) for pipelines and vehicles, with the potential to replace 10 percent of U.S. natural gas. Key policy drivers include the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and various USDA and DOE funding programs, though some face appropriation reductions.

The United States produces over 70 million tons of organic waste annually, yet only 2,200 biogas systems are currently operating, representing less than 20 percent of the total potential. Biogas, produced via anaerobic digestion, can be used for heat, electricity, or upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) for pipelines and vehicles. The document highlights that expanding to 13,500 additional systems could create over 335,000 construction jobs and 23,000 permanent jobs while significantly reducing methane emissions. Key feedstocks include food waste, landfill gas, livestock manure, wastewater sludge, and crop residues. Federal support is provided through the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Farm Bill, and agency programs like AgSTAR and the Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

The report identifies significant volumes of organic waste from dairies, piggeries, poultry farms, and abattoirs in the Western Cape, noting that most are currently underutilised or disposed of via landfill and burial. It highlights anaerobic digestion and composting as primary value-addition opportunities, while noting regulatory hurdles regarding fertiliser sales and strict landfill requirements for animal carcasses. The document provides a directory of waste providers and technology partners to facilitate business-matching.

The report examines the transition of South Africa's waste sector from a landfill-centric model to a sustainable waste economy. It highlights a significant gap between current recycling rates (approximately 10%) and the potential resource value of R17 billion that could be unlocked through full recycling. In the Western Cape, the report identifies key opportunities in recyclables, organics, e-waste, and construction and demolition waste, while noting that municipal financial constraints necessitate public-private partnerships to achieve a 20% waste diversion target by 2019.

The Resource Productivity (RP) project by GreenCape identifies high-impact green technology opportunities for agri-processing in the Western Cape, with a particular focus on the fruit sector. The project developed three business cases: solar PV for packhouses, solar thermal for industrial heating, and the bioconversion of organic waste into insect protein for animal feed. Findings indicate that solar PV is financially viable for large packhouses and that solar thermal can significantly reduce fuel costs, as 79% of the sector's energy demand is for heat. The report also highlights the potential for biogas and insect protein to create thousands of jobs and generate substantial GDP contributions while diverting organic waste from landfills. Strategic recommendations for the Western Cape Government include supporting local technology development, streamlining waste regulations, and promoting the use of insect meal in aquaculture.

The Stockholm Environment Institute has developed Resource Value Mapping (REVAMP), a tool designed to help urban planners and investors identify the economic and material value of resources recoverable from sewage sludge, faecal sludge, and organic solid waste. Unlike previous tools, REVAMP operates at a city-wide scale and is specifically tailored for the Global South by incorporating on-site sanitation data. A 2016 trial in Kampala, Uganda, demonstrated that 100% collection of the city's organic waste could generate significant daily revenues and substitutes for firewood and chemical fertilizers, with solid combustion fuel offering the highest potential daily revenue of US$225,500.

The document details a 'closed loop' system where Cape Town Market diverts organic waste to Elgin Fruit Juice's anaerobic digester in Grabouw to produce electricity. The resulting digestate is transported back to Cape Town Market, where Ywaste uses it as a carbon-based additive to create compost for farmers. This synergy results in 1,400 tonnes of organic waste diverted from landfills annually, a reduction of 1,000 tonnes of fossil greenhouse gases, and an annual saving of R550,000 for Cape Town Market.

The document argues that the circular economy is a strategic tool for businesses to navigate a 'decade of polycrisis' characterized by supply chain uncertainty and material insecurity. It focuses specifically on the City of Cape Town, noting that the city is expected to run out of landfill space by 2035 and currently has the highest landfill gate fees among South African metros. The guide introduces a 7-step process for CEOs to transition from linear to circular models, ranging from mapping resource flows to influencing supply chains. It details '9R' strategies—such as refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, and recycle—supported by local examples like Zerocrete and Barloworld Equipment. Additionally, it outlines regulatory pressures, including mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for sectors like packaging and electronics, and a provincial target for 100% organic waste diversion from landfills in the Western Cape by 2027.

The document examines the use of waste-derived Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) in the United States as a means for businesses, states, and municipalities to utilize waste-derived methane and lower the carbon footprint of vehicle fleets. It specifically explores the conditions necessary for RNG to achieve significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions relative to fossil fuels.

The WWF's Food Waste Warrior curriculum uses student-led audits and wildlife-focused education to reduce food waste in U.S. schools. Piloted in Washington, D.C., the program emphasizes a hierarchy of prevention, donation, and diversion. Key findings include the effectiveness of student-led audits in reducing plate waste, the impact of on-site scratch cooking versus pre-packaged meals, and the barriers to food donation and composting in school settings.