CASE STUDY #050
INTERNAL PROJECT SHOWCASE
Kraaifontein Waste Management Facility
An ultra-modern, award-winning solid waste transfer and materials recovery plant makes recycling viable
IDP LINKAGES
Opportunity city
Well-run city
The Integrated
Development Plan (IDP) is
a plan for how the City
will prioritise its budget
spending over a five-year
cycle. The IDP is agreed
between local government
and residents, and is
adjusted to accommodate
changing needs.
SUMMARY
Transforming urban waste into a useful resource was the key focus of the City of Cape Town’s Solid Waste
Department in the planning and design of the ultra-modern and award-winning Kraaifontein Waste
Management Facility. This is the first integrated recycling facility in South Africa and includes a public dropoff site and facilities to sort dry waste and chip green waste that has been separated at source.
BACKGROUND
The Kraaifontein Waste Management facility currently integrates refuse transfer of 1 000 tonnes per day
with a semi-mechanised material recovery facility (MRF). It uses a combination of mechanical and manual
technologies to sort approximately 100 tonnes per day of dry recyclables, which are separated at source
and collected by the facility’s operator. The aim is to divert as much waste as possible from landfill sites
and to facilitate economically viable recycling.
Non-recyclable waste is compacted into 30m3 closed containers at the transfer station and taken by road
to landfill sites. The Solid Waste Management Department’s policy is to develop transfer stations for better
integrated waste management as the landfill sites within the waste collection catchments close and new
landfills are developed long distances from the area.
The reduction of the waste stream following ‘at source separation’ (recycling separated by homes and
businesses and collected separately from general waste) and the sorting of recyclables into the various
components of value at the materials recovery facility has resulted in a substantial savings in the costs of
ENABLERS
Utility Services
Directorate
Solid Waste
Management
Department
This case study describes one of the City of Cape Town’s innovative projects that demonstrates how the
City applies design-led thinking to support City strategies and goals and help to improve the lives of
residents. For more, scan the QR code alongside or see www.capetown.gov.za/WDC2014/
CITY OF CAPE TOWN WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 INTERNAL PROJECTS SHOWCASE
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#050: KRAAIFONTEIN WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY
transporting waste to landfill sites. Diverting waste from landfills also increases the lifespan of the City’s
remaining landfill sites, which are fast becoming full.
Stakeholders in this initiative include the Solid Waste Management Department, the middle to upper
income areas from the Northern Suburbs (via the Think Twice recycling programme), high school learners
and students from tertiary institutions, private contractors managing and operating the facility, and the
local community.
The need for a facility in the vicinity was identified in 2000, due to the closure of the Brackenfell and
Faure landfill sites which had served the area previously.
The R230 million multi-purpose facility is the first large-scale ‘greenfield’ integrated waste management
facility in South Africa that integrates waste transfer with mechanised and manual sorting material
recovery, chips garden waste for making compost, and includes a public drop-off facility for the
convenience of the local communities, further promoting waste recycling.
Construction and commissioning of the facility took place between 2008 and 2010 and its design
included ‘green building’ features, making it a milestone achievement for waste management in South
Africa. The facility won joint first prize (shared with the Koeberg interchange) for technical excellence in the
2012 South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) national awards.
DESIGN THINKING
Design-led thinking is a
collaborative and usercentric process through
which challenges are
identified and creatively
addressed to deliver
innovative and relevant
solutions. With the
responsibilities placed on a
city administration, the
core driver for embracing
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN LINKAGES
OPPORTUNITY CITY: The new facility provided employment for local residents during the construction
phase and up to 30 locals are employed on a permanent basis by the City to operate the transfer station. About 170 additional jobs have been created to operate the materials recovery facility while 40
jobs have been created for the collection of the ‘at source’ separated dry recyclables. The material
recovery facility operations and the transfer of waste containers by truck and trailer have been outsourced to private contractors.
WELL-RUN CITY: By extracting components of value and reducing waste sent to landfills, the City is
reducing the environmental impact of solid waste and offsetting the cost of waste management and
disposal. The facility also makes it viable to promote a culture of recycling among residents, which has
very long term sustainability benefits.
design-led thinking is the
improvement of the
quality of life of citizens,
the ethos that underpins
the World Design Capital
programme.
DESIGN TOOLS
For an explanation of the
HOW HAS DESIGN BEEN USED?
Of the key tools which support design-led thinking in project conception, creation and implementation, the
following are fundamental to the success of this project:
+ DREAM TEAM: Prior to the Kraaifontein Waste Management Facility's design and construction, the
project manager of Solid Waste Management’s Disposal Branch and the consultant’s project director met
with a very wide range of people to obtain information and refine the design. Communication channels included regular project meetings, personal meetings, technical visits to sites overseas, discussions
with contractors in the field and regular meetings with City departments involved with the project.
+ EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH: Although this was a large project it was completed in just over three
years. Once the concept design had been finalised and appropriate technology had been selected,
detailed design proceeded with considerable input from architects, and structural and mechanical engineers. Tenders were invited and the facility was built in approximately 22 months. Now that it is in
operation, small changes are being implemented to fine-tune areas of concern and to improve service
delivery. This will be an ongoing process.
+ QUICK DELIVERY: Once the need for a materials recovery facility, refuse transfer station, public dropoff facility and garden chipping facility for the area was identified, the facility was researched, and the
design and construction was fast-tracked.
+ OPEN ACCESS TO INFORMATION: The Solid Waste Management Disposal Branch is continually
engaged in the planning of material recovery facilities, refuse transfer stations and public drop-off
facilities. All previous reports, experience and knowledge is thus well entrenched, and the team has
CITY OF CAPE TOWN WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 INTERNAL PROJECTS SHOWCASE
key constructs which
support design-led
thinking in project
conception, design and
implementation,see
the Toolbox.
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#050: KRAAIFONTEIN WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY
now managed the design and development of three large transfer stations/integrated waste management facilities. A fourth, in Bellville, is currently under construction.
+ INNOVATION CHAMPS: The facility benefitted from having dedicated project managers and consulting engineers who were all committed to this project and ensured its success through input from people with a varied range of skills.
+ BIG THINKING, LOCALISED IMPACT: The establishment of a clean materials recovery facility in conjunction with the more common refuse transfer station, drop-off and chipping area was completely
new to Cape Town and could have been considered a risky enterprise. The project team, however, saw
it as an opportunity to instil and demonstrate the value of recycling and the financial viability for contractors involved. It sets the bar high, and offers lessons learnt for future developments at other waste
disposal facilities.
+ COMMUNITY AT THE CENTRE, CREATIVITY ON THE FRINGE: The Solid Waste Management
Department continually promotes waste minimisation and environmental awareness, for the general
and environmental health of all Capetonians and future generations. The need for recycling is increasingly being accepted by the public at large, which made the decision to develop a materials recovery
facility that much easier.
DESIGN THINKING
Design-led thinking is a
collaborative and usercentric process through
which challenges are
identified and creatively
addressed to deliver
innovative and relevant
solutions. With the
responsibilities placed on a
city administration, the
core driver for embracing
FURTHER INFORMATION
Contact Colin Hall: colin.hall@capetown.gov.za
design-led thinking is the
improvement of the
quality of life of citizens,
the ethos that underpins
the World Design Capital
programme.
DESIGN TOOLS
For an explanation of the
key constructs which
support design-led
thinking in project
conception, design and
implementation,see
the Toolbox.
CITY OF CAPE TOWN WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 INTERNAL PROJECTS SHOWCASE
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