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The document outlines a comprehensive set of circular economy interventions for the City of Cape Town, categorized by the principles of prioritizing regenerative resources, stretching product lifetimes, and using waste as a resource. Key initiatives include the Green Procurement Action Plan, the transition to electric vehicles, the development of repair hubs and equipment libraries, and the implementation of organic waste diversion targets.

This policy brief by GreenCape argues that building urban resilience in informal settlements requires a participatory co-design approach driven by facilitators with high emotional intelligence and specific core values. Using a case study of the Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU) in Cape Town's Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp, the document demonstrates how a data-driven, four-step engagement process can lead to community-supported infrastructure, such as home-solar systems. It details the necessary human capital for project drivers, emphasizing trust, collaboration, and active facilitation as essential for overcoming systemic distrust and social vulnerability.

The document highlights the challenges of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) management in Cape Town, where landfills are nearing capacity. It argues that while high-value materials like metals are already recycled, lower-value salvageable items are often discarded. The case study presents 'The Real Deal 2 Cheap' as a business model that fills this gap by purchasing and reselling used building materials, thereby reducing landfill pressure, creating local jobs, and providing affordable materials to the public. It also notes systemic barriers in South Africa, such as low landfill tariffs for C&DW and a lack of reliable waste data.

The document examines the deployment of container-based sanitation (CBS) in Cape Town, where the number of informal households is projected to reach almost 900,000 by 2040. It details the current use of portable flush toilets (PFTs) and shared container toilets, noting that while communities generally accept these as alternatives to full-flush systems, there are significant needs for improved durability and more reliable servicing. The brief also explores the potential for a circular economy by beneficiating excreta into products like fertilizers or fuel, highlighting regulatory shifts such as the 2019 liquid waste landfill ban and new organic waste treatment standards that may reduce barriers for local providers.

The document explores the application of AI in material recovery facilities (MRFs) in South Africa, specifically focusing on the solutions provided by Dragonfly. It argues that AI can augment human labour rather than replace it, particularly in developing economies where labour is cheap but efficiency is often low due to human error. Dragonfly's system uses high-resolution cameras and deep learning to classify waste, providing real-time data to optimise picker performance and conveyor speeds. In Cape Town and Stellenbosch, this technology increased material recovery by approximately 640 tonnes, reduced tailings by 22% to 30%, and led to a 10-15% wage increase for staff.

The guideline outlines a three-step process for farmers to achieve energy resilience: conducting energy audits to identify efficiencies, evaluating alternative energy technologies based on specific production needs, and navigating the financial and quality assurance aspects of implementation. It highlights the critical role of energy efficiency as a prerequisite to reducing the capital requirements of renewable systems and provides detailed comparisons of technologies such as solar PV, biogas, and battery storage, alongside various South African financing mechanisms and tax incentives.

The document presents data on Cape Town's green energy sector, identifying 184 energy companies across various specializations and sizes, contributing R14.7B in annual revenue and employing 11,368 people.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) partnered with the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) to manage tear-down waste from a 2015 event at the Cape Town International Conference Centre. By identifying resource types and volumes two months in advance, WISP connected the WEF with solution providers to repurpose pine wood, carpeting, promotional materials, and PVC banners. This initiative diverted 11.8 tonnes of waste from landfills, saved 10 tonnes of fossil greenhouse gas emissions, and generated approximately R242,000 in total economic benefits.

Mediclinic Southern Africa (MCSA) has implemented a water reduction strategy focusing on laundry wastewater recycling to ensure operational continuity amidst water scarcity. By installing recycling plants in six South African hospitals in 2024, MCSA reduced water use by 23-70% and achieved combined annual savings of approximately R1.5 million. The most significant impact was seen at Cape Gate Hospital, which reduced consumption by 70% with a payback period of about 3 years. Beyond laundry recycling, MCSA utilizes smart metering, SCADA monitoring systems, autoclave water recycling, and boreholes, with future plans to recycle sewage water for toilet flushing.

The GreenUp initiative in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, is a collaborative recycling project launched in June 2019 by Distell with support from the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Provincial Government. The project integrates waste pickers into the formal waste management system by providing infrastructure, training, and equipment, enabling them to collect and sell recyclables to buyback centres. Between 2019 and 2022, membership grew from 62 to 120 people. In 2020, the project diverted 60-100 tonnes of recyclables from landfills and generated income for members between R80,000 and R120,000. The model is presented as a potentially replicable approach for implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations by incorporating the informal sector.

This document is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by the GreenCape Sector Development Agency to secure additional office space in Cape Town to accommodate team members for the JUST SA project.

The document presents a data-driven overview of Cape Town's green sectors, highlighting a total of 600 assessed companies. It breaks down the energy, water, and waste industries by company size and function, while detailing municipal budget figures and investments in green infrastructure, including the Atlantis Special Economic Zone for Green Technologies.

The Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU), implemented by GreenCape, uses an adaptive co-design framework to provide energy services to unserviced communities. In Freedom Farm, a settlement of approximately 2,000 people in Cape Town, the ASDU identified a lack of formal electricity and high unemployment (close to 65%). Community co-design sessions revealed priorities including home-level electricity, connectivity, and safe cooking. Residents expressed a willingness to pay up to R100 per month for these services, with a goal of eventual system ownership.

The Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU), implemented by GreenCape, uses an adaptive co-design framework to provide energy services to unserviced communities. In Malawi Camp, Cape Town, a community of over 1,000 people with no formal electricity, residents identified home-level electricity, food storage (fridges), and area lighting for safety as their primary priorities. While residents expressed a willingness to pay between R50 and R100 per month for these services with the goal of eventual ownership, the document notes that the upcoming relocation of the community to a formal housing development on Symphony Way may decrease the business case for off-grid solutions.

The document presents data on 600 companies in Cape Town's green sectors, highlighting that the majority are micro-enterprises and that the sector contributes R312 billion to the city's total GDP.

The document details how the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) connected Enviroserv, a waste management company, with ComboTimber Structures, a pallet refurbisher. This collaboration shifted ComboTimber Structures' business model from manufacturing virgin wood pallets to using second-hand materials, resulting in 79 tonnes of wood diverted from landfills and the creation of three permanent jobs.

The document proposes a 'data and domain' approach to resilient urbanism, where measurable shared data and asset-based community participation intersect to drive inclusive public engagement. It details a methodology for community-led enumeration—collecting socio-economic and demographic data—and using that data to ground participatory co-design workshops. A case study of GreenCape's Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU) in the Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp informal settlements in Cape Town demonstrates this process, resulting in the selection of a solar PV micro-utility solution tailored to the community's specific needs, affordability (maximum R150 monthly payment), and desire for portability.

This Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by GreenCape seeks a service provider to develop a practical implementation plan for a "smart grid" in Cape Town. The goal is to transition the City of Cape Town's energy department to a service-centric energy model based on information communication technology (ICT) to address revenue challenges and improve energy resilience.

UV Tooling CC, a parts manufacturer in Cape Town, installed a 150 kWp solar PV system and 290 kWh Li-ion battery storage to combat systemic loadshedding. The system provides 2.5 hours of protection per loadshedding event and utilizes peak shaving to reduce costs. This investment has resulted in a 47% reduction in monthly electricity bills and avoids over R1.2 million in annual diesel costs, with an expected payback period of 7.5 years.

The workshop addressed the emerging waste stream of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in South Africa, noting that while most current waste stems from damage, obsolete panels will increase significantly within five years. Participants discussed the legal ban on solar panels in landfills starting August 2021, the need for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, and the trade-offs between centralized recycling facilities and local dismantling hubs. The report highlights the importance of the waste management hierarchy—preventing, reusing, and repairing—and suggests that while full local recycling may not be feasible in the short term, local pre-processing and the export of PV cells are viable options.