Cecilia Buyiswa Matenshi has used her career in recycling to turn trash into triumph. After her husband suddenly passed away in 2011, she became the sole breadwinner for her family. Since then, she's become a wastepreneur, using recycling to raise her two children and send them off to university, with her eldest child being a qualified chemical engineer, while the youngest is pursuing a degree in civil engineering. “My house, my clothing, my car, and the success of my kids are all successful products of recycling," she says.
In addition to being a sorter at the Pikitup Garden Site in Victory Park, Buyiswa runs the Faraday Buy-Back Centre, where she employs three people and hopes to expand the facility to support more livelihoods.
She also actively organises prayer sessions and spearheads initiatives to combat unemployment. This dedication to community upliftment and sustainability has earned her first place in Community Recycling at the Victory Park Garden Site in Johannesburg.
Matenshi believes that every single household can recycle, and that waste collectors can earn a proper living working in the recycling industry.
“In 2024, I collected over 70,000 tonnes of recycling,” she says proudly. “A job is in your hands, and you can make money through recycling.”
She lets us in on what she loves the most about waste management, how recycling empowers women and how the Mpact Group has supported her in her career.
What do you love most about working in the waste management sector?
I am making a difference in keeping our environment clean whilst creating a sustainable income for myself, and I can create jobs and empower others in my community.
How do you think the recycling sector plays a role in empowering South African women?
The recycling sector has actively inspired and encouraged me to upskill myself through studying and learning from my managers.
The sector is growing and is creating opportunities for women by bridging the gender gap in the industry.
I am continuously growing in my career, and this way I am able to take care of my family, and also share my skills by teaching others what I have learned.
How is the Mpact Group supporting and empowering women in the waste sector?
It supports women by offering professional development, community empowerment, and social responsibility. They provide training, mentoring, and career support.
Mpact’s enterprise development programmes support women-owned businesses, and they participate in community projects promoting education and health.
They are also very involved in the communities they operate in.
As a woman, have any significant challenges in the workplace stood out to you?
There are fewer women than men in the waste sector; however, I have never felt that this is a challenge.
The number of women is increasing in the industry, and organisations such as Mpact Recycling are fast-forwarding progress towards closing the gender gap in the sector.
You’ve put your children through school with recycling. What are some of the other positive aspects of pursuing a career in waste management?
The biggest positive about a career in recycling is that I get to learn more about the importance of recycling.
I also feel that I am making a big difference in our country by reducing waste that goes into the environment.
There is also a lot of room for growth in the sector, especially for women.
What would you say are the negative aspects of working in recycling?
The fluctuating prices that are paid for materials are challenging, as this affects our income stream.
And finally, what would you say to any young woman hoping to break into the recycling space?
My encouragement message to young women is that they must not give up on recycling, because they need to teach our future generations to keep our South Africa clean.
They must not always think that recycling is a dirty job, because they can make money from it, create jobs for others, and support their families and communities.
