Cape Town: The Urban Waste Management Directorate is bringing recycling a little closer to home and making it more rewarding through the success of its mobile Swop Shop trailer.
This creative mobile Swop Shop initiative allows residents to exchange recyclables for everyday essentials such as groceries, toiletries and school supplies. It is a simple way for households to make a difference while earning useful items in return.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Waste Management – Alderman Grant Twigg said that the Swop Shop makes recycling accessible and worthwhile. Residents help in keeping their neighbourhoods clean, while also reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.
Swop Shop’s Success Story
Since its relaunch in August 2025, the mobile Swop Shop has already collected 52 tonnes of recyclables, with residents receiving about R161,000 worth of essential goods in exchange – all within just two months.
The trailer visits Wesbank, Lwandle, Nomzamo, Mfuleni and Bosasa, Khayelitsha and Delft to make it easy for residents to take part.
In September, more than 700 people joined in, swapping recyclables like plastic, tin and glass for tokens they could redeem for food, toiletries, school stationery and other daily essentials.
Driven by Community-driven, Supported by City
The Swop Shop is funded by the City of Cape Town and through the sale of collected recyclables, but private businesses are also invited to lend a hand. Donations of goods or supplies help the initiative grow and reach more families.
Alderman Grant Twigg said that the more private sector involvement can attract, the more of they can expand, on this kind of model.
Cape Town is one of the first cities in the region alongside Stellenbosch to roll out a mobile version of the Swop Shop and allowing one trailer to serve several communities instead of being fixed to a single location.
Changing Lives, One Bag At A Time
According to Grant Twigg, this innovation helps them in reducing the waste and support their families through the items they earn. In some areas, the Swop Shop is still gaining momentum, but communities like Wesbank are showing just how successful it can be.
In fact, in one area, the initiative has already created a job with an ambassador appointed to raise awareness and encourage more people to participate.
Waste management is everyone’s responsibility and when residents, businesses, and the City work together, entire neighbourhoods become cleaner, safer and more sustainable.
Upcoming Projects
To grow the initiative further, the City of Cape Town will soon invite service providers to support and expand the Swop Shop initiative.
- A Request for Quotations (RFQ) for the construction of two additional mobile trailers will be advertised soon.
- The Swop Shop operational contracts are expected to be advertised in 2026.
Local service providers are encouraged to look out for these opportunities and be part of the City’s ongoing journey towards cleaner and more sustainable communities.