The City of Cape Town will become the first South African municipality to establish a pilot plastics-to-oil plant.

The City of Cape Town has signed an agreement with a Japanese consortium for the pilot plant’s establishment, with funding coming from a R10 million grant from the Japanese government to foster technology export from Japan. The project forms part of the city’s endeavours to create a sustainable city and will showcase how design can simultaneously stimulate the economy and contribute to a sustainable society, reducing the environmental impacts of plastic.

The development and testing of the plant will take place at the Kraaifontein integrated waste management facility. The pilot project will run for six months, before it will be assessed and decisions will be made on its sustainability and affordability. Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services Ernest Sonnenberg says, “The pilot project, if successful, will attract investment that generates economic growth and job creation, ensuring infrastructure-led economic development.”

The plant will be able to convert 500kg of plastic into approximately 500 litres of heating oil per day. Some of the oil will be used to power a generator, while the rest will be sold as heating oil in industrial processes.