One of the first SMEs approved for investment by the ASISA ESD Investment Committee in 2014 was Waste Want, a 100% black owned waste management company based in Cape Town.
Selected from Sanlam’s supply chain in 2013, the company completed two years of business development support with the Sanlam Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Programme, which is the ASISA ESD initiative’s longest standing partnership. Waste Want was included in the ASISA ESD initiative’s investment portfolio, because it showed a high potential for growth and job creation.
We would like to share the Waste Want story with you, because it showcases what can be achieved in partnership. Empowered by the business development support from the Sanlam programme and capital investments from the ASISA ESD initiative, made possible by the funding received from our members, Waste Want has grown from a small recycling business launched in a garage into a thriving business.
Today Waste Want is a successful recycling and waste management company that specialises in dry, non-hazardous waste. The business’s main clients are the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government. It has delivered average revenue growth of 47.5% year on year over the past five years since the first initial investment was made by the ASISA ESD initiative.
Between March and August this year the company showed a turnover growth of 186% and a net profit increase of 178% compared to the same period in 2018. In addition, 168 new jobs were created in 2019 alone. Waste Want currently supports 216 employees, many of whom were previously unemployed and reliant on shelters for their survival.
The business recently won a recycling tender for the Helderberg area with the City of Cape Town, which has necessitated the purchase and installation of a professional Materials Recovery Facility to handle recyclables from the Helderberg and surrounding areas. The ASISA ESD initiative provided Waste Want with additional funding to support this expansion drive.
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