THE City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management Directorate recently held an event at the Prince George Drive drop-off facility to encourage small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) that handle waste to register for accreditation as waste service providers.
Businesses involved in the handling and transporting of waste must obtain accreditation from the City to operate legally in Cape Town and to qualify to bid on waste management tenders for the City. The waste service provider accreditation process involves ensuring that the business has viable plans for cleaning/treating, separating, storing, transporting and disposing of/ beneficiating materials they handle.
Similarly, residents are legally required to only make use of accredited waste management companies to remove recyclables and any building and demolition waste, garage waste and garden waste from their properties. Household waste is then removed by the City. If residents can ensure a company is accredited before asking them to remove their waste, it helps ensure this waste is not simply dumped on nearby open land.
Representatives from the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department’s Business Hub also attended to showcase the opportunities that exist for accredited waste service providers to do business with the City. In addition, there was an exhibition of household waste items that can be repurposed and distribution of educational material related to recycling.
“There is a thriving recycling sector in Cape Town that is doing good work diverting waste from landfill, but there are also a lot of opportunistic people who dump waste they are paid to dispose of legally. This is why it is important to raise awareness about accreditation for both residents and SMMEs. It is a tool to help residents identify those who have viable and environmentally-conscious plans for managing the waste we pay them to manage,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.
What to know about the accreditation and its process:
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- Sign up online: http://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/swma/
- View the checklist of information that is needed for your application.
- Once your application is submitted, you will be notified when it is being reviewed and the date of inspection to follow.
- It takes between three to four months to complete as each step in the accreditation process must be followed.
- There is no cost to register.
- Accreditation is valid for 24 months.
For more assistance on completing the waste management plans for accreditation applications, SMMEs can contact Alfonzo Noble (021 400 2478) and Yolokazi Bikwana (021 4001 760).
