A tribe of like-minded action orientated civil society

What began as collaboration with a handful of passionate organisations soon grew into the creation of Waste Action Tribe (WAT) — a movement of like-minded, action-oriented individuals and groups committed to tackling South Africa’s waste crisis head-on.

During this chapter, I worked alongside and supported several high-impact initiatives — each one contributing uniquely to reducing single-use plastics, shifting community mindsets, and developing sustainable waste solutions.

Impact at a glance

• Worked on awareness campaigns and community clean-ups targeting coastal plastic pollution.
• Partnered with river-based waste interception teams to prevent plastics from reaching the ocean.
• Supported conservation initiatives that combined environmental restoration with socio-economic upliftment — particularly through waste-to-value models and skills training.
• Award-winning Informal Waste Collector campaigns operating across KZN, and now WC. Operations currently involve 1,350+ collectors across 22 sites, supporting 982,000 individuals with an average of 72,000 bags sorted monthly
• Empowering Youth Through Work Placement. I was allocated candidates for work experience and went on to place ~100 young people across different environmental and community development sectors.

Why it Matters

Waste Action Tribe was never just about clean-ups — it was about shifting culture. 

The work created pathways for communities to earn, learn, and lead change themselves. For businesses, it proved that impact and sustainability can align with operational goals, creating value both for the bottom line and for the people who need it most.