Recycling

In the yard of a Mitchells Plain home, Shevon frantically swings an axe at a large plastic bucket. “This is why I love my job, it’s good for my mental health as well,” says the 38-year-old mother of two, as shards of plastic fly off into a large polyester trash bag. After years working as a waste picker across one of Cape Town’s largest townships…, Environmental, economic, and social impact – a holistic approach, Born and bred in Mitchells Plain, Zach leads the project from the RLabs base in the heart of the community. “We’re trying to address environmental and social aspects together,” he explains. “So, we came up with a model and idea to look at how we get households to really start recycling and to divert more waste-at-source from landfills that can’t…, Taking ReChas to the next level, The project’s unique approach in empowering the local community helped it win the UNICEF and imaGen Ventures, ‘Sustainability Innovation Challenge’, that rewards green initiatives globally with seed funding to continue advancing their innovation.   Improved logistics and efficiency are the result for the ReChas. “The cost of fuel is high, and we…, The green economy in action, A short drive away from the yard where Shevon is working, Muna, a local waste picker, appears from over a hill carrying two trash bags. She’s heading to a ‘ReCha Node’ to trade in her recyclables. It’s where 28-year-old Shandre lives, described as a “champion of ReChas” by Zach for diverting about 27,000 kg of waste from landfills since last…