Bellville is taking a bold step towards a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future with the introduction of new public e-waste drop-off points at any of the official ERA bins to support the circular economy. The e-waste bins can be found at the SPAR in the New Boston Centre (a revitalised 10-storey mixed-use building) public parking lot at 85 Voortrekker Street, DF Malan High School, and the Bellville GTP Recycling & Buy-Back Centre at 1 AJ West Street, Bellville.
Led by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) through its better. bellville. together. this is a collaborative place-making initiative that has been taking shape in Bellville, supported and funded by the City of Cape Town. Together with key partners – eWaste Recycling Authority (ERA), eWASA, Taking Care of Businesses (TCB), and the New Boston building property owners – this activation marks an important moment for the Northern Suburbs.
As our reliance on technology grows, so does the mountain of discarded electronics we leave behind. In 2022, the world produced more than 62 million tonnes of e-waste – enough to circle the planet with 1.55 million trucks – yet only 22% was properly recycled. South Africa adds over 360,000 tonnes to that total each year but formally recycles only 12%, which allows dangerous substances such as mercury, cadmium and lead to enter our soil, water and homes.
The consequences are severe. Improperly handled e-waste can release over 1000 toxic chemicals into the environment annually, including neurotoxins that pose heightened risks to pregnant women and children. Across Africa, where formal recycling rates remain below 1% in many areas, communities are especially vulnerable.
The opportunity to do better is within reach. If global recycling rates increased to 60% by 2030, the world could save more than $38 billion in health and environmental costs, while reducing pollution, conserving valuable metals, and creating new green jobs in repair, refurbishment, and recycling.
“Through the better. together. waste management programme, we are committed to building cleaner and more sustainable public spaces,” says Warren Hewitt, CEO of the Greater Tygerberg Partnership. “This e-waste initiative brings together local partners and residents to tackle a global problem at a neighbourhood level. Every kettle, phone, and cable dropped off helps build a greener Bellville.”
E-waste is an environmental hazard, but also a missed economic opportunity. Inside old laptops, kettles, routers, phones, and TVs are valuable materials such as gold, copper, and rare earth elements worth billions globally. When collected correctly, these materials can be recovered, reused, and transformed into skills development and green employment opportunities for local youth.
A Call to Bellville Residents to Take Action
The new drop-off points are a community activation designed to make responsible disposal simple, visible, and accessible. The message urges residents and businesses not to dump or stash these items, and instead bring them in and turn e-waste into opportunity.
Residents are encouraged to drop off any unwanted or broken electronics, including anything with a plug or battery, and help reduce pollution while supporting the development of Bellville’s emerging circular economy.
The drop-off bins will remain open to the public, and residents are encouraged to recycle:
- Old phones and chargers
- Laptops and accessories
- TVs, monitors, small appliances
- Cables, routers, modems
- Any device with a plug or battery
Clear signage at the site will list accepted items, operating times, and contact information for the collection and recycling teams.
Recycle your e-waste!
Take part in the e-waste recycling challenge. It only takes five minutes to help make our planet and Bellville better. together. and greener!
How to participate:
- Recycle: Drop off your e-waste at any of the official ERA bins.
- Snap and Submit: Take a quick photograph of your drop-off and share it in the comments section of any of our e-waste campaign posts on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
- Use hashtags: #ewasterecyclingchallange #gtp
firecracker
A British man on safari walks into a bar far out in the reaches of a game reserve in Southern Africa, he stays at the bar for a while shooting the shit with the bartender and drinking like a fish, he offer to buy the barkeep a round and since no one else is within 2km of their small oasis of liquor the barkeep obliges. The englishman goes off to the bathroom to have a good old go at the porcelain, he\’s back and ready for a few more whiskeys. He\’s just sat down when suddenly in the distance he hears a scream. He looks over his shoulder and dismisses it as nothing, he turns to the barkeep and orders a drink, takes a sip and hears the scream again. He looks at the barkeep who just shrugs it off. A minute or two later he and the barman hear it again and go outside to take a look. They see a lone figure running towards them screaming, he spots them and lets out a cry, RUN!!!!! HE\”S COMING!!!!!
The barkeep and the Englishman both look at the terrified bedraggled sight before them, and try to calm him down, but he\’s completely inconsolable. They give him water and finally manage to get a word out of him but he struggles free from their grasp and run away screaming.
A few minutes later the same thing happens with a whole group of men running in and screaming, he\’s coming, he\’s coming the barkeep grabs hold of one of the men as he tries to sprint past the bar and tries to get information out of him, again no response other than terrified gibberish.
The barkeep and his customer are starting to get worried, they start to pack up before another group of horrified natives run up to the bar most of them flee but one tries to hide behind the bar, the barkeep pulls out a shotgun and points it at the terrified man\’s face, finally managing to coax some words out of him. \”He\’s coming for us, Vernon Koekemoer is coming for us, we have to hide!!! We have to get out of here.\” He gets up and tries to run but the barkeep grabs him, feeling trapped in a panic he grabs the barkeeps shotgun and blows his own head off. The Englishman and the barkeep look at each other starting to really panic now.
They look out of the window and off in the distance they see a tornado coming towards the bar, at the bottom of the tornado they see the hugest beast of a man they have ever seen, as he gets closer they spot that he is riding a rhinocerous and using a crocodile as a riding whip, with each smack of the crocodile across the back of the rhino the louder is screams and the faster it runs, the tornado following it getting ever larger.
The 2 look at each other and start to fortify their position, they\’ve got a gun and they\’re waaay to drunk to run, so they start piling bar stool and tables and anything they can get their hands on to make sure they\’ll be safe when he arrives. They\’re not gonna make it, they can see the man slowing down his rhino, by now the crocodile is nothing but reptile paste on the bruised rump of the half dead rhino, the rhino drops down dead from exhaustion and crashes to the ground right outside the bar the tornado loses it\’s last breath in a cloud of dust as the huge man crashes his way through the make shift barricade and charges up towards the bar where the 2 men have taken shelter, he grabs a bottle of the hardest liquor on the shelf and down the entire litre in 1 gulp, he peers over the bar sobbing and sees the 2 defenders cowering down behind the crates of beer, they look up at the mans\’ face and he stares at them with a look of complete and utter hopelessness, he stares at them for a half second and half screams, half sobs, \”Oh my god what are you still doing here!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!! Vernon Koekemoer is coming!!!!\”
Spooky Electric
If you believe nobody gives a hoot about you, dare to miss a number of credit card payments and see the love that you will get.