The City of Cape Town has emerged victorious in the global Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge 2025, earning a $1 million prize that promises to fuel community-driven waste management initiatives within informal settlements, reports Cape {town} Etc.
This accolade marks a significant milestone for the city, showcasing innovative approaches to pressing urban challenges.
Selected from an impressive pool of 630 applications worldwide, Cape Town’s winning project, spearheaded by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, stands as a testament to the city’s commitment to fostering cleaner and healthier communities.
This celebrated grant will not only provide financial support but also operational assistance and additional funding opportunities for scaling successful innovations.
‘Cleaning up informal settlements is a problem that has vexed me and the city for years,’ said Hill-Lewis. ‘That’s why I nominated this project for consideration for the Mayor’s Challenge Prize. We are most appreciative of this prize money and support, and we will use the money to scale up our pilot project on waste management in informal settlement communities,’
The initiative, originally piloted in the Dunoon area, aims to establish a collaborative framework that involves residents in co-designing waste management practices.
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This approach is projected to reduce illegal dumping and improve overall living conditions.
The project focuses on several key components, including:
- Community-led waste separation-at-source projects
- Design and testing of greywater diversion infrastructure systems
- Exploration of a new model for waste and cleansing services in informal settlements
The Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge spanned two phases, with Cape Town competing among 50 finalist cities where creatives and leaders put ideas to the test in terms of their novelty, potential impact, and strength of implementation plans.
The city’s recognition further cements its ambition to transform waste service operations in a manner that can be replicated across its various municipalities and potentially inspire similar strategies in cities around the globe.
Hill-Lewis expressed his enthusiasm for the project’s global recognition, emphasizing the importance of community collaboration: ‘Our project recognises that success can only be achieved with the insights and collaboration of residents. We are energised by this global recognition as we work towards better, cleaner, more dignified living conditions for all residents, in line with our mission to build a city of hope for all,’
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Picture: Unsplashed
Source: City of Cape Town
