Fostering jobs, economic growth and environmental sustainability

The better. bellville. together. City-funded place-making initiative, a pioneering endeavour dedicated to revitalising the Bellville region through community engagement, business investment, and sustainable practices, continues to make significant strides.

Funded by the City of Cape Town and managed by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP), the initiative is crucial to job opportunities but also fostering economic growth and environmental sustainability in Bellville and its surroundings.

At its core, the programme focuses on economic growth through an area clean-up initiative and by transforming waste into valuable resources, which in turn drives job creation, cost efficiency, and environmental sustainability in Bellville and the surrounding areas.

By leveraging community assets, infrastructure, and services, the programme is enhancing public spaces by making it cleaner, and more welcoming. This promotes the region’s well-being, creates opportunities, and attracts potential investments.

Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, said that since its launch last year, the campaign has already made a positive impact in fostering community cohesion and environmental sustainability in Bellville.

‘The better. bellville. together. initiative is a shining example of how local efforts can yield extraordinary benefits. Through innovative place-making and beautification, waste management and resource diversion, we are not only creating jobs and saving costs but also paving the way for a sustainable future. The collaboration between businesses, government, and the community is driving this success, and I am proud to support such a transformative programme,’ Alderman Vos said.

In the last year, the project has created job opportunities for 40 unemployed individuals, representing a substantial step towards economic growth and employment opportunities in the area, and in turn, saving the state R1.3 million.

Benedictine Aljosha Blaauw, a team member from the better. bellville. together. illegal graffiti removal team said: ‘This project has assisted me on my journey to creating a sustainable livelihood, not only for myself but also for the future of my own immediate family.’

Qhamani Ningiza, a better. bellville. together. recycling team shared: ‘This job is important to me because I am able to provide for my own basic needs. This job enables me to pay my own education. I hope to register soon once I get accepted, my dream is to study further.’

A cleaner, greener Bellville for all

The programme also aligns with the ethos of a circular economy in which waste is re-used and recycled instead of going to landfills. According to the GreenCape Waste Market Intelligence Report 2022, opportunities in the organics, plastics, and e-waste sectors could add between R320 million and R5billion in value to the local economy annually. The Cape Town metropolitan area alone generated between 538,050 to 619,760 tonnes of organic waste, with a significant portion landfilled, representing a potential value-add of up to R3.2 billion per year.

The better. bellville. together. initiative is diverting an estimated 81 tonnes of food waste annually from landfills, with the potential of 243 tonnes. By converting this waste into valuable compost through the Mould Empower Serve (MES) composite made locally, the initiative is current creating 60 cubic metres of compost per year, with the potential to increase it to 276 cubic metres of compost per year.

This compost is used by MES, a local social development organisation, for their food and public gardens, which are managed by the Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District (VRCID), for the fourteen public gardens they upkeep.

‘In addition to promoting greener spaces and urban agriculture, the initiative’s efforts are yielding significant economic and environmental benefits. Repurposing organic waste into compost, collected by the better. bellville. together. organics waste collection team, local businesses and civic institutions are experiencing substantial waste cost savings,’ said Alderman Vos.

Selwa Riquest, an informal trader who has benefited from the better. bellville. together. initiative, shared her experience: ‘The place looks much cleaner now and my customers are loving the alternative packaging. The team are doing a particularly good job, I can see better. bellville together. teams walking around and checking up on the terminus and it really helps.’

Additionally, the initiative is reducing the financial burden on municipal waste management systems, allowing for more efficient allocation of public resources. The compost produced by these waste projects provides an annual saving of R36,000 for Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District (VRCID), which uses 30 cubic metres of locally made compost instead of purchasing it externally. Furthermore, the initiative is playing a crucial role in alleviating landfill airspace pressures in the Western Cape, where most municipalities are facing critical shortages.

Looking ahead, the better. bellville. together. initiative aims to expand its reach and impact, by increasing the scale of waste diversion and compost production to further enhance economic benefits, create even more jobs, and support the region’s sustainability goals.

The initiative’s success serves as a model for other communities facing similar challenges, demonstrating the power of local action and collaboration in achieving wider environmental and economic objectives.