Keeping in line with its ongoing investigations into minimising waste in Cape Town, the city’s Utility Services Directorate has started Phase Two of its Home-Composting Research Project.

This phase saw 700 home-composting containers being delivered to households in four selected areas, around 175 households in each area, as part of a study. During the course of the year, the city will monitor the findings of the study to assess whether home-composting on a large scale across the city is feasible.

The project is being carried out by an independent contractor, Keep the Dream 285, in partnership with the city.

Each participating household has been provided with the necessary information on how to use the containers and have agreed to provide the city with monthly feedback on the progress of their composting efforts, with data recorded in notebooks that were issued to them. The city-appointed contractor will be available for guidance along the way.

Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for Utility Services said:“Residents are free to use the compost for the enrichment of their garden soil. Maintaining a garden can be costly and home-composting is a self-sustaining investment. Furthermore, rich and healthy soil is required for the cultivation of vegetable gardens, which save residents even more money in the long term.”

Enthusiastic participants signed up for the study following a recruitment process conducted by the contractor, whereby residents of the selected areas were visited. The areas were selected for their representation of varying demographics, based on the 2011 census. The selected areas comprise specific parts of the following four suburbs: Scottsville;  Bongweni (Khayelitsha); Edgemead and Heathfield.

Participants from Bongweni will also be given the opportunity to attend workshops where they will be coached on gardening, cultivation of food gardens and maintenance – optimising the benefits of composting.

Sonnenberg added:“It is important to note that residents do not need to be part of the Home-Composting Research Project to benefit from this practice. Residents who are not part of the study and would like to take the initiative to begin their own home-composting system are strongly encouraged to do so. They can use a suitable container they have at home, or purchase a container specifically designed for home-composting from garden centres, nurseries or hardware stores.”

Of the 1.6 million tonnes of waste still directed to Cape Town’s landfills each year, approximately 6% consists of garden and organic waste from households, i.e. 95 000 t/a; while approximately 5% is made up of organic kitchen waste, i.e. 80 000 t/a. This is equivalent to a possible average of approximately 11 kg per household per month of garden/organic waste, as well as 10 kg per household per month of organic kitchen waste, which is directed to landfills when it could be reused.

For any enquiries related to the project, please contact the project manager, Noel Johannessenon : +27 (0)21 400 5924 or via e-mail to Noel.Johannessen@capetown.gov.za.