The City of Johannesburg’s waste management agency, Pikitup, has expanded its fleet to boost recycling and waste innovation in the city.
Pikitup unveiled 41 new caged trucks dedicated to collecting recyclable waste through its Separation at Source (SAS) programme, a move that underscores Johannesburg’s ambition to become a continental leader in sustainable waste solutions. First launched in 2018, SAS began in high-income suburbs but now aims to deepen community participation and support inclusive, entrepreneurial ecosystems in the recycling sector.
The upgrade goes beyond trucks it’s about building a green circular economy. The enhanced fleet will help reduce the volume of waste dumped into Johannesburg’s four remaining landfill sites, where airspace is running out. Pikitup’s strategy aligns with South Africa’s national target of diverting 97% of waste from landfills by 2050.
In a statement, the agency highlighted that the investment is not just about waste collection it’s about opportunity. “The programme opens up space for emerging wastepreneurs and recyclers to plug into the city’s formal waste value chain,” the agency noted.
Alongside the caged trucks, Pikitup has acquired six new compactor trucks and purchased twelve more, boosting its capacity to ensure efficient, reliable and timely collection of both recyclable and general waste.
These developments coincide with a parallel initiative to transform garden waste drop-off sites into integrated waste management hubs, where multiple waste streams plastic, glass, electronic, garden, and organic can be processed. Pikitup already operates 41 such sites across all seven city regions, serving as launchpads for grassroots innovation in waste reuse and repurposing.
Experts say the city’s investment could have ripple effects across the continent, where waste remains both an environmental challenge and an economic opportunity.
As cities across Africa grapple with rising waste volumes and shrinking landfill capacity, Johannesburg’s model is emerging as a blueprint for how public infrastructure can support private innovation and green entrepreneurship turning yesterday’s trash into tomorrow’s business.
