Reliance Compost, City of Cape Town celebrate waste management

Oranjezicht City Farm

This achievement was commemorated with a luncheon held recently at the Oranjezicht City Farm in the City Bowl - a non-profit project celebrating local food, culture and community through urban farming, which Reliance has collaborated with.

The event was attended by Karen Shippey, director of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and a number of other dignitaries and business people.

Caring for environment

Reliance CEO, Detlev Meyer, said the most important achievement is the reduction of a daily average of 238 tons of green house gasses being spewed into the atmosphere.

"Up to half a million tons have been reduced since 2008. All of this didn't stop the wettest winter in 250 years in the UK. Nor did it stop the Polar Vortex in North America with temperatures of minus 30 and more. It surely isn't stopping Reliance and like-minded partners to stop caring for the environment," Meyer said.

Reliance was awarded it's first City of Cape Town contract to shred green garden refuse collected from the city's drop-off facilities and landfills in 2001. It has been taking care of the city's green waste ever since by recycling green garden refuse and putting more than 750,000 tons of organic compost back into the depleted soil of the Western Cape, resulting in valuable cost savings for the city.

Essentially it has meant that this waste did not need to be transported to landfill sites, and also eliminated the need to create additional landfill space.

During the 13 years that Reliance has managed this project, it has also created six new businesses through this contract by appointing independent contractors and their workers - all from previously disadvantaged communities - to work on 12 of the sites within its city contract over the years.

Sites are filling up

At this point, the city's solid waste landfill sites are filling up rapidly and as predicted, in the near future, waste will need to be transported to sites outside of the municipal boundaries at a significant cost. Another alternative would be to develop waste minimisation facilities, and these will come with substantial land requirements. In the light of this, Reliance's mission of zero organic waste to landfill is in line with the city's vision, and is easily the most economical solution.

Reliance is a member of the 110% Green Flagship project, an important initiative of the Western Cape government, calling on organisations to commit to the green economy, by committing to it, acting on it and making an impact. Reliance has assisted schools throughout the province to green their own environment, while educating students through recycling artwork projects and the development of food gardens. It values its partnerships with other like-minded businesses, such as Greenpop, Oranjezicht City Farm and City Sightseeing, to only name a few.