Reliance Compost and City of Cape Town celebrate major waste reduction milestone!

Reliance, the leading certified organic compost provider in the Western Cape, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, reached a major milestone in the war against waste in the province when it achieved the diversion of 10 million cubic metres of garden refuse from landfill earlier this year - making the Western Cape the first province in South Africa to achieve this status.

This momentous achievement was commemorated with a luncheon held recently at the Oranjezicht City Farm in the City Bowl -  a non-profit project celebrating local food, culture and community through urban farming, which Reliance has collaborated with. The event was attended by Karen Shippey, Director of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and a number of other dignitaries and business people. 

Reliance CEO, Detlev Meyer said during his presentation, ‘the most important achievement is the reduction of a daily average of 238 tons of Green House Gasses  being spewed into the atmosphere.  Up to half a million tons have been reduced since 2008.  All of this didn’t stop the wettest winter in 250 years in the UK.  Nor did it stop the Polar Vortex in North America with temperatures of Minus 30 and more. It surely isn’t stopping Reliance and likeminded partners to stop caring for the environment.'

Reliance was awarded it's first City of Cape Town contract to shred green garden refuse collected from the city’s drop-off facilities and landfills in 2001. It has been taking care of the city’s green waste eversince by recycling green garden refuse and putting more than 750 000 tons of organic compost back into the depleted soil of the Western Cape, resulting in valuable cost savings for the City.  Essentially it has meant that this waste did not need to be transported to landfill sites, and also eliminated the need to  create additional landfill space. During the 13 years that Reliance has managed this project, it has also created six new businesses through this contract by appointing independent contractors and their workers – all from previously disadvantaged communities - to work on 12 of the sites within its City contract over the years.   

At this point, the City’s solid waste landfill sites are filling up rapidly and as predicted, in the near future, waste will need to be transported to sites outside of the municipal boundaries at a significant cost.  Another alternative would be to develop waste minimization facilities, and these will come with substantial land requirements.  In the light of this, Reliance’s mission of ZERO organic waste to landfill is in line with the City’s vision,  and is easily the most economical solution. The company is constantly researching and investigating new ways of dealing with organic waste in a bid to find solutions to the challenge of dealing with an ever growing waste stream.  

As one of only a few South African carbon neutral businesses, Reliance has had its composting technology approved as a Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction method according to the guidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is internationally recognized for its contribution to the green economy and is the only South African composting company to be registered with the United Nations.  Over the years Reliance composting method prevented over 500 000 tons of carbon dioxide gas escaping into the atmosphere – a substantial contribution to reducing the impact caused by climate change.

Reliance is a member of the 110% Green Flagship project, an important initiative of the Western Cape Government, calling on organisations to commit to the Green Economy, by committing to it, acting on it and making an impact.  Reliance has assisted schools throughout the province to 'green’ their own environment, while educating students through recycling artwork projects and the development of food gardens. It values its partnerships with other like-minded businesses, such as Greenpop, Oranjezicht City Farm and City Sightseeing, to only name a few. Reliance also support  Greenpop's Trees for Zambia reforestation and eco-education festival of action each year in Livingstone (area with a deforestation rate of 250,000 to 300,000 hectares per year) - a must experience for all! Currently Reliance is busy with a project where 400 hectares of depleted soil is being rehabilitated after decades of mining sand and gravel. The first fase of the project is completed with 12 hectares of table grapes planted and more than 30 new jobs created.

Reliance has commited to deliver on each of the above mentioned over the next twelve months. Congratulations to the team and keep up the great work!