Case Study: Upcycling in South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa produces about 62 million tons of waste annually. Despite the fact that this number falls at the lower end of the global spectrum, in many of Africa’s nations “recycling” has not yet been fully realised. One of the main reasons: competition for waste-management resources. However, upcycling requires little to no resources, increases the value of discarded materials and can be engaged by anyone, regardless of skill level while also allowing individuals to sell their upcycled products.

In South Africa, “upcycling” is thriving, employing people on every part of the economic spectrum. ”South Africa has always had an upcycling culture … there’s always been an acknowledgement, especially when we had sanctions, that we need to cobble things together with tape and bubble gum. This element of resourcefulness – of taking trash or waste and giving it a new utility – has been here for years, even before it became fashionable to upcycle.”

In addition, people who live below the poverty line survive by creating products using materials they have found and collected. Some of these upcycled creations include: oil-can guitars, seed-pod jewelry, wire toys, plastic bags crocheted into bags and shoes.