Run by 4 local women since 1998, the Motherwell Buy-Back Centre is a waste collecting and sorting facility servicing the local community both financially and environmentally. Presently, waste is brought in by pickers and sorted and sold to waste recycling companies, with non-recyclables used for the making of crafts. However, the centre faces significant obstacles - vandalism, deteriorating facilities and no access to basic services are but just a few. Also within the area, an Enviro-Education Club holds childrens' environmental workshops, often in partnership with the Buy-Back Centre in the making of sustainable crafts. The Hlumani Nande Environmental Ambassadors Group is a dynamic group tackling climate justice and food security within Motherwell. Therefore, building on the community's shared vision of a resilient and healthy Motherwell, all 3 groups have come together, seeking a safe space and a formal structure to continue their important work, under an upgraded and combined facility. With ample space for development on the Buy-Back Centre's site, the Motherwell Community and Enviro Hub will be an integrated facility, with space for enviro-education, workshops, waste sorting, craft-making, food gardens, composting and more, using waste as the core building material.

Currently, the project is in its final stages of design development, with proposals submitted for funding to upgrade the existing centre and expand it into the sustainability and community hub it aims to be.

Through collaborative community and project team engagement, awareness programmes, and training in all phases of the project; the community will develop skills and knowledge on the impact of waste, waste sorting and recycling, and self-sufficient gardening and farming practices. The desired outcome is a shift in the perception of waste to be an item of potential value. Additionally, the Motherwell Community and Enviro Hub will be built mostly with waste, using locally sourced materials in a simple and cost-effective method, training community operators on how to do this so they can teach others in the future. The benefit is a cost-effective building process, waste reduction and re-use, and skills development. Operators will also receive training in business planning and implementation, and compliance with waste management legislation. Once completed, project beneficiaries will have a formal facility that is attractive to customers, conducive to more efficient waste operations and can serve the community at large more effectively than before. This will enhance their current businesses, and allow them to expand and grow, increasing livelihood opportunities for themselves and their families. A clean and healthy environment is important to developing a resilient and healthy community. The facility will be a pilot plant that can be replicated elsewhere, extending its impact on a broader scale.

The Hub is an integration of 3 community organisations – the Buy Back Centre, Enviro-Educators Group, and Hlumani Nande Environmental Ambassadors Group; comprising 25 Motherwell locals who share a Vision of a clean environment and resilient community. Jenny Rump and Dale Clayton, environmental activists of the Zwartkops Conservancy have supported the entities since inception, and introduced the project team in 2000. Belinda Clark and Mike Cohen, environmental specialists of CEN IEM Unit, are spearheading the project; with RBL Architects, and a social facilitator, Therese Boulle. CEN is an environmental consultancy, focused on sustainable development where communities are an integral part of the environment. Architects Johan Lochner, Shane Kemp and Daniella Patsolos are leading the facility design, waste building methods, and construction management. Therese has extensive experience working with communities, and her role is to facilitate discussions for an integrated facility, where the 3 entities work together for a greater impact. The Sustainable Seas Trust, an NPO in Gqeberha, is focused on zero plastic waste at sea, and has joined as a partner in impact measurement research, media support and business planning. Emphasis is given to planning and developing the upgraded Hub together. The project is therefore a partnership of community groups, specialists, and support organisations; with a common purpose of community upliftment through environmental management.
 https://environmentcen.co.za  
http://www.rbl.co.za/   
https://sst.org.za 
https://www.zwartkopsconservancy.org/