CASE STUDY 2

Waste Management: Integrating Informal Reclaimers into Johannesburg’s Circular Economy

“A circular economy only works when the people already doing the work are recognised, structured and supported.”

Johannesburg Inner City Partnership

Informal waste reclaimers are central to South Africa’s recycling economy, yet they remain largely excluded from formal urban systems. Research by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) indicates that reclaimers collect between 80% and 90% of post-consumer paper and packaging recyclables, saving municipalities an estimated R750 million annually in landfill airspace costs*. Despite limited infrastructure and formal recognition, reclaimers have positioned South Africa among global leaders in mechanical plastic recycling.

As part of its waste management focus area, the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership (JICP) strengthens the entire waste value chain across the Walkable Network and into the broader inner city. Among other measures, this involves public space cleaning, recyclable material collection and structured circular economy integration.

Through the Social Employment Fund (SEF) programme, the JICP deploys participants across city-wide locations. Within this structure, 120 dedicated participants operate as reclaimers under JICP’s partnership with Urban Surfer. These participants are active reclaimers who collect recyclable materials as part of the city’s informal recycling ecosystem.

Urban Surfer, led by Sifiso Gumbi, acts as JICP’s implementation partner for reclaimer coordination and market integration. The organisation provides training, operational support and equipment, while also aggregating, sorting and selling recyclable materials. These include materials collected by both reclaimers and other JICP waste management teams.

“Joburg’s inner city is full of life and history, but litter and illegal dumping prevent people from enjoying their own heritage. Through our partnership with JICP, we are able to turn concern into coordinated action.”
Sifiso Gumbi, Urban Surfer

By coordinating reclaimers, cleaning teams and market links, JICP moves recycling from fragmented survivalist activity toward a more stable and recognised urban system.
The programme recognises reclaimers not as peripheral actors, but as essential contributors to Johannesburg’s environmental performance and economic resilience. Integrating reclaimers into a coordinated regeneration strategy strengthens more than recycling outcomes. It reinforces dignity, stabilises livelihoods and builds a more inclusive urban economy.

* Source: CSIR news release — Integrating informal waste pickers into the economy (Integrating informal waste pickers into the economy | CSIR)

Back to case studies

Be part of the change

gET in touch
Join us to create meaningful, measurable change and a lasting legacy of urban regeneration. Together, we can build a clean, safe and welcoming Johannesburg one step, one street, one story at a time. Every action, every investment, and every voice can shape the city we share.