Cape Town: Soet River gets clean-up boost with litter interceptors. Three new litter interceptors are being installed along the Soet River in Strand to trap high volumes of waste causing water pollution.
The Water and Sanitation Directorate of the City of Cape Town started the project in April 2025 as part of a broader initiative driven by its Catchment Stormwater and River Management Branch. A total of 20 litter interceptors will be installed in rivers and water bodies across Cape Town by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.
Soet River passes through Lwandle, Nomzamo and Strand then enters False Bay, passing through the Greenways Golf Estate. It struggles with copious amounts of solid waste being dumped into the waterway. Illegal dumping into the catchment flowing through Lwandle and Nomzamo in Strand. It remains a major challenge for the City of Cape Town, which spends at least R1.5 million a year on measures to clean this waterway.
To address this, the City of Cape Town has invested an additional R1.1 million in the installation of three litter interceptors designed to trap floating waste such as plastic, cans, bottles and domestic refuse before it reaches False Bay.
The installations were conducted at the selected locations, which were:
- A litter cage trap at the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and Onverwacht Road.
- A litter boom downstream of Broadway Boulevard in another branch of the Soet River.
- A litter boom at Greenways Estate, just before the river flows into the ocean.
Moreover, the City of Cape Town will undertake fortnightly cleaning and maintenance of two of these interceptors with increased frequency after heavy rainfall, which typically brings higher volumes of waste. The Greenways Estate body corporate has volunteered to clean the interceptor within their premises on a weekly basis.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Water and Sanitation – Councillor Zahid Badroodien said that the litter interceptor installed at Greenways Estate has already reported positive results with much less solid waste flowing into the ocean and marine environment. The full project installation along the Soet River is much needed and scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2025.
The litter interceptors offer several benefits, such as:
- Capturing floating litter and debris before it moves downstream or reaches sensitive marine environments.
- Offering a low-cost, scalable solution for managing riverine litter.
- Flexibility in installation across various types and sizes of water bodies.
The plans are already under-way for a fourth interceptor at the intersection of Boundary Road and Abattoir Street. This installation will be more complex, and will capture waste from both arms of the Soet River on the Onverwacht Roadside and from Chianti heights.
According to Councillor Badroodien, residents are reminded that their household waste disposal habits directly impact the waterways. Please ensure that the waste does not end up in the rivers. Always use designated bins and recycle where possible.
He added that by taking the responsibility for careful disposal of your litter and other household and industrial waste correctly, they are helping to keep the community clean and protecting the rivers.