EVERY year, 2-million tonnes of food waste is dumped at landfill sites in Cape Town. Each tonne generates two tonnes of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change, and the toxins can leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater.Phumlani Dlongwana is seeking to tackle this, create jobs and make a profit. He runs Waste to Food with business partner Roger Jacques."We receive food waste, manually chop the food items into smaller pieces, manage the earthworm hammocks, harvest the compost, dry and sieve the compost (to ensure no small rocks and twigs are included) and then bag it," he says. "By turning waste into compost, we are saving the planet, a bag at a time."It has been a long journey to get to this point. Growing up in a small village in the Eastern Cape, Dlongwana always had big plans for his future. "I told everyone I wanted to become the president, but when I was much older, I wanted to become a social worker," recalls the 35-year-old father of four. "I had a passion...
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