New National Initiative Drives Student Led Solutions For South Africa’s Plastic Waste Crisis

Octavius Phukubye, Executive Director of the Mr Price Foundation, delivering the keynote address at the national launch of the Waste Innovation Challenge

Waste Innovation Challenge positions plastic waste as a platform for enterprise development, innovation and economic participation. It calls on students and recent graduates from all 26 public universities to reimagine plastic waste as a resource that can be transformed into products, services or technologies with clear environmental benefit and commercial potential.

The challenge is delivered through Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme. EDHE will lead recruitment across the public university system, coordinate university participation, and deliver the entrepreneurship development pipeline from training through to the national finals.

Untapped potential

South Africa’s waste economy holds significant untapped potential. In 2023, the country recycled approximately 431,800 tonnes of plastic, yet only 27.5% of collected plastic material was processed into usable recycled materials, highlighting gaps between collection, processing and value creation. South Africa also generates more than 100 million tonnes of general waste annually, with the majority still landfilled or stockpiled. Placing this work within higher education expands the role of universities as sites of innovation that translate learning into enterprise — and enterprise into livelihoods.

“Economic resilience grows when young people can turn real problems into viable businesses,” said Octavius Phukubye, executive director at the Mr Price Foundation. “This Challenge is designed to build green entrepreneurs. It connects opportunity to practical skills, credible pathways, and solutions that can scale in the real economy.”

The challenge creates access at scale through universities. It reaches young innovators where they learn, build and test ideas. It strengthens entrepreneurship development in higher education as a practical bridge between education and enterprise.

Dr Edwell Gumbo, director of Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education at Universities South Africa, said, “The Waste Innovation Challenge shows what entrepreneurship in higher education can deliver when it is linked to real market needs. It gives students a structured pathway to build solutions with commercial potential. It also strengthens the role of universities in supporting a more sustainable economy, while developing sustainable waste solutions in the country.”

Supplied image: Octavius Phukubye, Executive Director of the Mr Price Foundation, with stakeholders from Universities South Africa, Durban University of Technology, UKZN, and University of Zululand.

Participation details

Participation in the Waste Innovation Challenge is open to students and recent graduates across South Africa’s 26 public universities.

Up to 400 qualifying participants will receive training in waste-to-value business models, circular economy principles, product development and pitching. From this cohort, 20 teams will be selected for an intensive bootcamp, before finalists present their innovations at the EDHE National Finals in the final quarter of the year.

Five winning teams will share R245,000 in prize funding, with R100,000 awarded to first place, R75,000 to second place, R40,000 to third place, R20,000 to fourth place, and R10,000 to fifth place.

Winning teams will also receive mentorship, business development support, technical and sustainability training, and national exposure to partners and potential investors.

How to enter: Complete the Expression of Interest form on the EDHE website.