How Waste2Opportunity Is Cleaning Up Sir Lowry’s Pass and Changing Lives

Photo Credit: Shared via BackaBuddy

In less than a year, this initiative in Sir Lowry’s Pass has created jobs, cleaned up the community, and given people a path toward financial independence all through recycling.

Sir Lowry’s Pass, South Africa (22 October 2025) – Since November 2023, Lionel and his friend Danzel have been on a mission to turn South Africa’s waste problem into a solution for their local township, Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, just outside Cape Town. Their small social enterprise collects, sorts, and sells recyclable materials, creating both environmental and social impact for the community.

In less than a year, and without any external funding, Waste2Opportunity has achieved remarkable results:

Built a team of 11 staff, including five recovering substance addicts.
Partnered with over 180 regular community waste collectors, 90% of whom were previously unemployed.
Collected, sorted, and sold more than 208,000 kilograms of waste. That’s over 4.4 tonnes every week, ranging from plastics and metals to e-waste.
Paid out R450,000 directly to waste pickers, many of whom are vulnerable individuals, including single parents, people with disabilities, and those rebuilding their lives after addiction or crime.

The enterprise demonstrates a working, self-sustaining model that uplifts people while tackling one of South Africa’s most pressing environmental challenges. It’s incredible to see how recycling can create livelihoods and hope. Every kilo of waste they collect is a step toward a cleaner environment and a stronger community.

Now, Waste2Opportunity is ready to scale its operations, but it needs support. Their goal is to raise R175,000 to purchase a second-hand pickup truck for collections, improve health and safety at their facility, and provide working capital to buy more waste from community pickers. With these investments, they project they can triple their operations.

This is about recycling and building a stronger community. The model empowers people, gives them dignity through employment, and shows that locally led initiatives can drive meaningful change.

For those interested in supporting, more information and the full pitch deck are available via Waste2Opportunity’s BackaBuddy campaign.

Every contribution brings them closer to turning more waste into opportunity for the people of Sir Lowry’s Pass.