A quarter of Cape Town’s residents live in informal settlements, where waste management is a challenge and illegal dumping is widespread. While the population keeps growing, more than 50% of the new housing built by 2040 is expected to be informal and the municipality needs to find new ways to provide better waste services to its informal settlements.

The city has tried various solutions, one of the most successful has been the co-design waste pilot solution developed in the Dunoon area, where communities have been involved to reduce illegal dumping, ensure reliable waste services, support the circular economy, and create economic opportunities. This collaborative approach has introduced new operating models, governance structures, and contracting mechanisms tailored to local conditions. The city is now working on learning from the pilot to scale up a model to other city areas.