Shopping mall, Cape Town, South Africa

A shopping mall in Cape Town faced an escalating challenge with food waste from its restaurants and food outlets. Improper disposal of food waste in landfills creates methane emissions, significantly contributing to climate change. At the same time, The Western Cape government announced plans to ban food waste in landfills by 2027, requiring businesses to act now. For Growthpoint Properties, the owner of the shopping mall, this was not just a regulatory challenge, but a critical opportunity to adopt circular economy principles and reduce its environmental impact.

With food waste rapidly becoming one of the most pressing environmental concerns, Growthpoint Properties sought a on-site, sustainable solution. The mall's location in a region facing food security challenges meant that finding a way to turn food waste into a resource was more important than ever. The mall teamed up with The Waste Transformers to take bold action—installing an on-site anaerobic digester behind the mall to tackle the mall's food waste directly, transforming it from a burden into an opportunity for sustainable energy and operational efficiency.

The turning point: choosing on-site food waste valorization

LIPOR’s strategy centred on promoting the recovery of organic waste through local efforts. Alongside the development of the Green Waste Composting Park in Laúndos, LIPOR decided to tackle food waste specifically by installing a Waste Transformer biodigester at the Póvoa de Varzim Transfer Station. This decision marked the commitment to handle food waste separately, paving the way for a more efficient and circular approach.

The solution

The Waste Transformers provided the smart, containerized solution for food waste valorization, which was visibly placed at the car park area next to the mall to increase further awareness under visitors. The biodigester processed food waste from the mall’s outlets into energy. 

Achieving goals

With the Waste Transformer biodigester in place, LIPOR is achieving measurable progress toward its goals:

• Reducing CO₂ emissions: Diverting food waste from landfills reduces methane emissions, mitigating the mall's environmental footprint directly.
• Awareness campaigns: The on-site processing allowed the shopping mall to make this low threshold communication among visitors about sustainable impact. 
• Compliance with regulations: Growthpoint wants to stay ahead of Western Cape's food waste to landfill ban, preparing for future regulations by diverting organic waste from landfills well before the 2027 deadline.

What's next?

This project has laid the groundwork for future innovation around food waste valorization and sustainability at Growthpoint Properties.

Your food waste solution is within reach