Building South African homes using waste

These companies are turning this waste into concrete bricks with hopes of building more sustainable homes in Cape Town.

A project spearheaded by the Western Cape’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, with support from private sector role-players, looks to reduce waste by targeting schools with incentives.

The iThemba Phakama 4Ps (People, Public, Private, Partnership) project, a collaboration between provincial and national government departments, sees pupils from no-fee schools donating the waste collected from their households and communities.

The Centre for Regenerative Design and Collaboration (CRDC), Bags of RESIN8 and Bitprop are buying these recycled waste materials which then used to build people’s homes. According to Ron Mukanya, director of sustainability in the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning these recycling hubs were set up at the schools since late 2021, have allowed plastic waste to be sold to other organisations, employing formal and informal waste collectors within the community.

The project has collected more than 16 000kg of plastic waste, Mukanya told News24.

“We’re trying to influence behaviour change of how to see waste differently, seeing it as a resource,” explained Mukanya, adding that: “We’re in close to 20 000 homes; that’s just by virtue of the number of learners we are currently reaching. We’re looking to double that over the next twelve months.”

According to News 24, this plastic undergoes a process that converts it into a fine dust called RESIN8, which is used to make bricks, pipes, pavers, and kerbstones.

“The CRDC plant can process 610 tonnes of plastic a month when operating at full scale. They already employ 20 people directly, with more than 500 benefiting as partnered waste collectors and reclaimer,” revealed the article.

CEO Abraham Avenant said they have learnt if one create values to non-recyclable plastic waste, the stuff that people usually just leave out there on the streets, people will actually start collecting that.

“So, they will pick up that chip packet and polystyrene cup, which are normally things they [informal waste collectors] would usually just leave there. If you incentivise, it will happen.”

Editor’s note: This organisation is giving families a place called home. It uses innovative ways to produce building materials, mostly bricks. These materials are bought from three companies who source these reusable materials.

Description: The iThemba Phakama project used plastic that undergoes a process that converts the plastic into a fine dust called RESIN8, which is used to make bricks, pipes, pavers, and kerbstones.

Editor: Thato Mahlangu
Project manager: Do4SA