‘Dignity through work’ | How Sir Lowry’s Pass village turns waste into opportunity

In Sir Lowry’s Pass village, Cape Town, piles of discarded plastic and tins were once part of the landscape. Today the same heaps of waste are being transformed into jobs, cleaner streets and self-worth, all because of a small social enterprise.

Founded in November 2023 by Lionel Botha, who lives with a physical disability, and his friend Danzel McDonald, Waste2Opportunity began as a community clean-up of a polluted river.

What started with two people and a wheelbarrow has grown into a thriving recycling network that collects, sorts and sells more than 4.4-tonnes every week, all without external funding.

“We wanted to clean the river,” Botha told TimesLIVE. “Then we realised how much of the waste could be recycled and how many people could benefit if we created something sustainable.”

In less than 12 months, the pair built a team of 11 full-time staff, five of whom are recovering substance addicts. They have also partnered with more than 180 community waste collectors. Nearly all were unemployed before joining the initiative.

To date they have paid out more than R450,000 directly to waste pickers, many of whom are vulnerable individuals, including single parents, people with disabilities and those rebuilding their lives after addiction or crime.

“It’s a double impact. The village is cleaner, and people earn an income without having to steal or beg. It gives people a sense of purpose,” Botha said.

The project’s success has caught the attention of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who visited the facility in October. He praised the team’s efforts, noting the group processes more waste weekly than some city-run programmes do in a year.

However, keeping Waste2Opportunity running is not easy. Without a pickup truck, Botha relies on his personal car and trailer to transport recyclables up to 30km to refineries, a method he said is unsustainable.

The team is trying to raise R175,000 to buy a second-hand bakkie, improve safety at their site and boost their capacity to purchase waste from more collectors.

“If we can secure funding, we can triple our operations,” said Botha.

Beyond recycling, the team provides education on waste sorting, enforces rules that prevent child labour and runs drug testing and rehabilitation support for workers struggling with addiction, Botha said.

“We do not only want to create jobs. We want to change behaviour and show even people who were once written off by society can build something powerful.”

His own journey reflects the belief.

“I grew up at a time when people with disabilities were called ‘handicapped’. People expected you to stand with a cap in your hand and beg. I refused that life. I wanted to work and create something meaningful.”

Botha said Waste2Opportunity stands as proof that grassroots innovation can drive social and environmental change.

“This is not charity. It’s dignity through work, and it is how we are cleaning up our community, one bag of plastic at a time.”

For those interested in supporting and reaching out, more information is available through Waste2Opportunity’s BackaBuddy campaign.

TimesLIVE