Bellville has a new business recycling champion. Congratulations to OK Foods Oakdale who rose to the challenge and committed to recycling as much of their business waste as possible, taking the 2021 crown as the Bellville Business Recycling Champion. In all, their efforts have diverted 1 224 bags of waste from landfill. Their championship status comes out of the Bellville Business Recycling Challenge, hosted by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP), Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District and social development partners, MES. Runners up in the challenge are The Butcher Shoppe, who recycled 310 bags, and Marshall Betting, who recycled 256 bags.  

Waste collectors Mark le Roux and Cheswon Booyson, recycled the most waste on behalf of businesses in Bellville, removing the waste to buy-back centres. They both earned a trophy to show their achievement as Most Dedicated Waste Collector throughout the challenge.  

In all, the 75 participating Bellville businesses recycled over 9 438 kgs of waste in 2 636 bags. Paper and cardboard are most frequently recycled – 78% percent of the total collected. 

GTP CEO, Warren Hewitt said: “While this is an immense achievement that must be applauded, these statistics offer an insight into how much waste is generated each month. Through this and other projects, such as our Zero Waste Schools project, the GTP is driving a zero-waste mindset in Bellville. Landfills are at capacity and waste is the next environmental crisis on our doorsteps. It’s up to everyone to reconsider how much waste they generate. But more importantly, it’s critical to change behaviours around creating waste at all.”  

William Koopman, Receiving Manager at OK Oakdale said: “This is a fantastic project. We saw our participation as a great opportunity to create jobs. We will definitely take part again.”  

Cheswon Booysen, who lives in a shelter near Paint City in Bellville, is one of the winning trolley operators. He said: “This project helps to build self-esteem, even if you don’t have much in the way of material things. It helps to earn money and get off the street. It’s not easy, but the work makes me feel good. I definitely want to go further and to encourage more businesses to sign up. Anyone is welcome.”  

Booysen’s trolley partner, Mark le Roux, who resides at The Haven shelter in Bellville, said: “The project has helped me to save some money, and I also enjoy the fact that I can contribute to cleaning up the environment.”  

The challenge, which ran from 1 March to 21 June, encouraged businesses to sign up to the award-winning Bellville Trolley & Recycling project. The project matches informal waste collectors with local businesses to collect recyclable waste and return it to a local buy-back centre, rather than letting it languish in landfills – which are at capacity in Cape Town. The waste collectors are able to earn a small income from their efforts, helping them to build a more dignified life. The waste collectors are required to go through a skills development and life skills training course in order to qualify for the programme. Once they graduate from the programme, the waste collectors are allocated a trolley and matched with local businesses.  

Between them, Mark, Cheswon and their six other fellow trolley operators were able to earn R8 116.70 in stipends from the buy-back centres. The challenge is now closed, but businesses can still sign up to the programme. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.

Do4SA, a non-profit and catalyst for the promotion of humanitarian efforts in South Africa, is producing a monthly online publication, The Altruist. Designed to provide readers with information on innovative, sustainable solutions to local problems, The Altruist aims to inspire entrepreneurs to support humanitarian efforts in South Africa Each edition of The Altruist will feature innovative approaches used by charities, NGOs and individuals to uplift communities and individuals out of poverty.

“There are some amazing people and organisations out there doing life-changing work,” comments Asif Mohamed who heads-up Do4SA development. “But there isn’t a platform for their work to be shared with corporates who are looking for sustainable solutions that make a difference to invest their CSR budget in.” 

Focussing on uplifting people and communities out of poverty, The Altruist covers stories relating to food security, healthcare, education, early childhood development, women’s issues, adult education, highlights the work of social entrepreneurs and more.  “

We want to become the go-to publication for the philanthropist,” adds Mohamed. “Now we’re live, we cannot wait to hear from people across the country and discover the work that’s benefitting the lives of millions.” 

Send your stories to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or to get more information on advertising opportunities. 

From Wildcard to South African winner – IDWork, a platform for people to find the perfect fit for their service provider needs, is set to take on the best startups from 65 other countries, in the global finale of the Seedstars World competition in Switzerland on 06 April 2017.  The event is one of the world’s most prestigious, with prizes that include USD 500k in investment, Software-as-a-Service solutions valued at USD 90k, plus insight and training for every startup, giving them a boost towards long-term stability and success. “Since winning the South African leg of the tour, we have been busy preparing for the finale in Switzerland to ensure that IDWork is ready to take on the rest of the world,” says IDWork co-founder Arjun Khoosal.

“We recently returned from the continental summit in Rwanda where we met the other African contenders and began preparations for the finale in April. The African tech scene is flourishing - these startups are going to be fierce contenders.”The Seedstars Summit 2017 will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland on 06 April and the 65 startups who qualified will battle for supremacy through competitions and presentations. It will be a gruelling seven-day process as the startups are whittled down from 65 to one, and IDWork is ready to represent South Africa and bring it home.“We were impressed with IDwork because of their early traction, strong founding team and the massive relevance of the problem they're solving - not just in their local market but across the region!" says Claudia Makadristo, Regional Manager for Africa, Seedstars Global. IDWork’s entrepreneurial co-founders Arjun Khoosal and Sayo Folawiyo may be facing a challenging start to April, but the benefits of the competition go beyond winning first place. All the startups will receive mentorship and the chance to network with some of the world’s most dynamic entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders.

“We know that this is an opportunity for us to build our brand in the global arena and to meet with people who can help us take our company to the next level,” adds Khoosal. “We plan to make every moment count at the Summit, learning from the workshops and networking with the brightest minds in the business.” IDWork is a remarkable blend of entrepreneurial spirit, technological innovation, and social impact. The company connects services providers (like plumbers, carpenters, and electricians) to people who need work done by someone they can trust. Reviews give customers profound insight into the capabilities of the people they are hiring. From choosing a contractor, to receiving a quotation, to paying online - the entire process is seamless and simple. It opens up a world of employment opportunities to experts who are great at what they do, but might not have the access to technology or the marketing skills necessary to grow their businesses.

ABOUT IDWORK

IDWork is a technology-enabled startup that connects consumers with trusted and reliable handymen and contractors who will help them renovate, repair and rescue their homes. IDWork's technology gives service providers an opportunity to grow their business and reputation. It also takes the stress out of home renovations and repairs, by showcasing stringently vetted service providers that homeowners can trust, and making it easier than ever to use them.Visit http://www.idwork.co.za to find out more about our offerings, you can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

ABOUT SEEDSTARS

Seedstars is a global organisation with a mission to impact people's lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship.  We sit at the forefront of innovation in developing markets and we make it our mission to share these developments with you across the digital landscape. We invest in people, we connect teams, we encourage risk. We empower entrepreneurial spirits to swim against the tide. Join us online or in person at our events anywhere around the globe. Join us as we seek to impact billions of lives in emerging markets.