Clean City SA mobilises community members and workers to improve the cleanliness and appearance of public spaces. Clean City SA understands that environmental degradation and unemployment are often interconnected.

Its programmes therefore seek to create opportunities for people to participate in meaningful community work while gaining experience and skills that can improve their future employment or entrepreneurship prospects.

Through its involvement in the Social Employment Fund, Clean City SA has managed significant numbers of participants across multiple Johannesburg inner-city localities. Participants have undertaken street sweeping, litter picking, environmental campaigns, skills development, and other community-beneficial activities.

The organisation has extensive experience managing large community-based cleaning programmes. Through the partnership with the Johannesburg Inner City Social Employment Programme, Clean City SA has managed hundreds of participants undertaking street sweeping and litter-picking activities across multiple inner-city localities.

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Clean City SA promotes the principle of Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and Recover.

The organisation works with communities, businesses, schools and property owners to encourage responsible waste practices and reduce the quantity of waste reaching landfill sites.

Clean City SA has operated a waste-sorting station in at the Randview Shopping Centre in Randburg where recyclable materials including glass, PET, HDPE, PP, aluminium, cardboard, LDPE, mixed plastics and steel are recovered and sold to buy-back centres.

Clean City SA promotes a transition from a linear “take, make, dispose” model towards a circular economy in which materials are retained in productive use for as long as possible. This approach positions waste not simply as a problem, but also as a potential source of economic value, employment and entrepreneurship.

Clean City SA recognises that South Africa’s transition towards a greener economy requires people with the knowledge, practical skills and entrepreneurial capabilities to participate meaningfully in emerging green-economy opportunities.

The organisation therefore develops and implements skills-development programmes focused on:

a) Waste management;

b) Recycling;

c) Environmental services;

d) Circular economy principles;

e) Waste legislation and compliance;

f) Green entrepreneurship;

g) Business development;

h) Environmental awareness;

i) Sustainable business models; and

j) Access to incubation, mentorship and market opportunities.

Clean City SA’s Green Skills Development Programme is an example of this approach, supporting aspiring youth entrepreneurs and green businesses through structured training, incubation and mentorship. The programme is designed to help young people convert environmental challenges into viable economic opportunities. Clean City SA is currently rolling out the Green Skills Development Programme in partnership with the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa Product Responsibility Organisation in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

Clean City SA’s environmental work is closely connected to its commitment to fighting hunger. The organisation supports initiatives that use environmental resources and recovered organic materials to contribute to food production and community wellbeing.

This includes:

a) Community food gardens;

b) School gardens;

c) Indigenous and food-producing plants;

d) Composting;

e) Organic-waste recovery;

f) Environmental education; and

g) Partnerships supporting food-security initiatives.

Clean City SA is currently in the final stages of coordinating a community garden in Diepsloot working in partnership with the Consumer Goods of South Africa Foundation. Clean City SA has also participated in innovative organic-waste initiatives, including a rapid-composting project in Tembisa that converts organic waste into compost that can support food gardens and other agricultural applications.

Clean City SA believes that clean communities should also be green, attractive and welcoming. In Alexandra, Clean City SA has worked in partnership with Food and Trees for Africa on indigenous tree-planting initiatives alongside street sweeping, litter picking and recycling activities.

Clean City SA believes that sustainable cities require active citizens.

Its volunteer programmes provide residents with opportunities to take ownership of their neighbourhoods and contribute directly to environmental improvement.

The organisation’s Adopt A Street model began in Berea, Johannesburg, where community volunteers participated in Saturday clean-up activities.

More recently, Clean City SA has been involved in Randburg Saturdays, a community volunteer initiative supporting the revitalisation of the Randburg CBD through regular clean-ups and community participation at every third Saturday of the month.

The initiative brings together residents, businesses, organisations and volunteers to contribute towards cleaner, safer and more vibrant public spaces.

Clean City SA provides businesses with practical opportunities to convert their CSI, ESG and employee-volunteering commitments into measurable community impact.

Corporate programmes include community clean-ups, environmental education, recycling initiatives, and tree planting. Clean City SA develops bespoke corporate environmental activities according to the objectives of each organisation and the needs of the selected community.

Clean City SA follows a practical five-stage implementation model:

Understand the environmental, social and economic challenges affecting the target community.

Bring together residents, businesses, government, funders, volunteers and community organisations.

Deploy practical environmental and community-development interventions.

Provide environmental awareness, skills development, mentorship and entrepreneurship support.

Monitor outputs and outcomes, report to stakeholders and develop mechanisms that allow successful initiatives to continue beyond the initial funding period.