The City of Cape Town is renewing its commitment to promoting home composting among its residents in the current fiscal year, with a goal of distributing at least 5 000 new home composting containers during the fiscal year 2023/24 and a budget allocation of R3 040 000.
In the previous fiscal year, 2022/23, the City made a concerted effort to compensate for the time lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had prevented it from distributing containers due to social distancing measures. During this period, a total of 11 033 composting containers were successfully distributed.
The public’s interest in and demand for these containers have reportedly remained unabated.
Also read: Collect your compost bin: The City supplies home-composting containers
To continue this initiative, the City is organising a series of urban waste management roadshow events in various communities across Cape Town throughout the upcoming year.
Details of these events will be posted on the City’s official social media platforms, such as the City of Cape Town’s Facebook page and @CityofCT on Twitter.
Residents interested in obtaining a composting container are requested to bring their ID and municipal account as proof of residency. It’s important to note that only single residential households are eligible to apply, and only one container will be issued per household.
The City will provide educational sessions on how to set up the container and effectively utilise it for composting at the collection sites.
What is the benefit of home composting?
Home composting is an immensely effective strategy to reduce society’s environmental impact. By diverting organic waste away from landfills, where it can emit potent greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, we can instead create valuable compost that can be used for growing food and enhancing community spaces.
Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, emphasised, ‘Home composting is one of the most efficient and impactful yet affordable ways that we as a society can convert organic waste to value.’
Even if you have a smaller garden or backyard, making compost is easy. A good compost system feeds nutrients back into the soil, helping plants and food grow. This is particularly helpful in Cape Town, where some areas do not have fertile soil.
It also helps with the following:
- Good compost makes for healthier plants.
- Composting reduces the amount of waste going to landfills.
- Composting means less greenhouse gas emissions.
The City’s collection point programme will be announced closer to the start of the 2023/24 rollout.
How to qualify:
- You can apply for your container when the programme comes to a location close to you.
- You need to be a homeowner or tenant of a single residence (sectional title flats are excluded).
- Your property needs to include a secure garden or yard area.
- To generate healthy compost, your compost bin will require a section of 1 metre² of open soil.
How to apply:
- Visit one of the collection points to complete an application form.
- Application forms will only be available at the venues during the specified dates and times.
- If your property qualifies, you can collect your home composting container on the day you apply.
- Please note: A limited number of free home composting containers will be issued per day and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
What to bring to the application process:
- A copy of your municipal account
- Your identity document or passport
What you’ll get when you collect your home composting package:
- Information brochures detailing how to start your home composting journey
- Your home composting container
Join in efforts to reduce waste and nurture our environment by embracing the practice of home composting.
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook