News, Tips &
SA Trends

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2026

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide when registering (name, email address) and usage data such as scan history and material queries. We do not sell your personal information.

2. How We Use Your Information

Your data is used to provide and improve the ScanWorth service, process payments securely via PayFast, and send you relevant service updates. We comply fully with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

3. Data Security

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL). Payment processing is handled by PayFast — we do not store card details. Your data is stored on Supabase servers with industry-standard security.

4. Your Rights

Under POPIA you have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data. Contact us at support@scanworth.co.za to exercise these rights.

5. Contact

ScanWorth · West Way Farmstay, R27, Langebaan, Western Cape, 7357 · support@scanworth.co.za · 060 897 3472

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Terms of Service

Last updated: January 2026

1. Acceptance

By using ScanWorth you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

2. Service Description

ScanWorth provides indicative South African recycling market price data. Prices are for reference only — actual depot prices may vary. We are not liable for any financial decisions made based on our price data.

3. Subscriptions & Payments

Paid plans are billed monthly via PayFast. You may cancel at any time. No refunds are issued for partial billing periods. Prices are quoted in South African Rand and include VAT where applicable.

4. Acceptable Use

You may not resell, reverse-engineer, or commercially redistribute ScanWorth data without written permission. The service is intended for personal and business recycling use within South Africa.

5. Limitation of Liability

ScanWorth is provided "as is". We disclaim all warranties to the extent permitted by South African law. Our liability is limited to the subscription fees paid in the preceding month.

6. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of South Africa. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Western Cape.

✕ Cape Town

Cape Town's R434 Million Recycling Facility: What It Means for Scrap Collectors

March 2026 · 5 min read

The City of Cape Town has officially opened the Coastal Park Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Muizenberg — a R434 million investment in the Western Cape's recycling infrastructure. This is the largest municipal recycling facility in sub-Saharan Africa and it changes everything for collectors in the region.

What the Facility Does

The MRF can process up to 1,500 tonnes of mixed recyclables per day, using a combination of AI-assisted optical sorting, near-infrared (NIR) scanning, and manual sorting stations. Materials accepted include: steel and aluminium cans, PET and HDPE plastics, glass bottles and jars, paper, and cardboard.

What It Means for Collectors

The facility creates significant upstream demand for clean, sorted material. Depots supplying the MRF are under pressure to improve quality standards — meaning collectors who present clean, separated loads will command better prices and faster acceptance times.

How to Take Advantage

Use ScanWorth to identify materials before you arrive. Clean aluminium, separated PET grades, and stripped copper wire all earn premiums. Mixed or contaminated loads are increasingly penalised. The message from Cape Town's infrastructure investment is clear: quality pays.

✕ South Africa

South Africa's EPR Laws Explained: What Recyclers Need to Know in 2026

Feb 2026 · 6 min

South Africa's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations came into full force in 2023, and by 2026 the effects are being felt across the entire recycling supply chain. Here's what every collector needs to understand.

What is EPR?

EPR legislation requires producers, importers, and brand owners of paper, packaging, and e-waste to register with a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) and fund the collection and recycling of their products at end-of-life.

How Does It Affect Scrap Collectors?

PROs including PETCO, Mpact Recycling, Fibre Circle, and the Glass Recycling Company now operate collector-facing programmes. Many offer top-up payments above market rate for verified collected volumes — effectively creating a subsidy of 15–25% above standard prices for PET, cardboard, and cans.

How to Register

Contact your nearest buy-back centre and ask whether they are affiliated with an EPR PRO. Registration is free and takes less than a day. ScanWorth's price data reflects base market rates — your EPR subsidy is additional upside.

✕ Scrap Metal

Copper, Aluminium & Brass: South African Scrap Metal Prices in 2026

Jan 2026 · 4 min

Scrap metal remains the highest-value recycling category in South Africa, and 2026 has seen continued strong pricing driven by global manufacturing demand.

Copper — The Gold Standard

Bright copper wire (Grade 1): R85–R92/kg. Mixed copper (Grade 2): R65–R75/kg. The global copper price is being driven by EV battery demand, solar panel wiring, and data centre construction. Strip your wire before selling — bare, clean copper commands a 30–40% premium over insulated wire.

Aluminium

Aluminium cans: R12–R16/kg. Aluminium extrusion: R18–R24/kg. Keep cans and extrusion separated — they are different alloys and depots price them differently.

Brass & Steel

Yellow brass: R38–R45/kg. Red brass: R42–R50/kg. Clean steel scrap: R2.00–R3.00/kg. Use ScanWorth to confirm your grade before arriving so you negotiate from an informed position.

✕ E-Waste

E-Waste Recycling in South Africa: Prices, Rules & How to Sell Safely in 2026

Jan 2026 · 5 min

Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing and highest-value recycling streams in South Africa — but it comes with strict regulatory requirements.

Why E-Waste Is Valuable

Electronic devices contain gold, silver, palladium, and platinum. A tonne of smartphones contains roughly 300g of gold, compared to 5g per tonne of gold ore. Certified e-waste recyclers pay serious money for quality material.

Current SA E-Waste Prices (2026)

Circuit boards (high-grade): R80–R150/kg. Old mobile phones (bulk): R20–R60 each. Laptop computers: R80–R200 each. Hard drives: R15–R40 each.

The Legal Requirements

Under South Africa's e-Waste PRO regulations (administered by eWASA), e-waste must be sold to a licensed e-waste recycler. Illegal dumping or selling to unlicensed buyers carries fines of up to R5 million. Always ask for a receipt and waste manifest when selling e-waste.

✕ Western Cape

Cape Town's Landfill Crisis: Why Recycling Has Never Been More Important

Mar 2026 · 5 min

Cape Town's landfill crisis has become one of the defining environmental policy issues of 2026. The Vissershok and Bellville South sites — the city's two largest disposal facilities — are both projected to reach full capacity before 2029.

The Numbers

Cape Town generates approximately 1.8 million tonnes of waste per year. Currently, only 11% is recycled. The national average is 13%. Compare this to Germany's 67% recycling rate — the gap is enormous, and the opportunity for collectors is equally large.

What the City Is Doing

The Western Cape government has announced a full ban on organic waste to landfill effective January 2027. This will drive significant investment in composting and biogas infrastructure.

What This Means for Collectors

Municipal recycling funding is increasing. The City of Cape Town's Community Recycler Programme pays registered collectors per kilogram above the standard depot rate. Now is the best time to be a recycler in the Western Cape.

✕ Innovation

AI & Robotics Are Changing Recycling — Here's What SA Collectors Should Know

Feb 2026 · 4 min

Artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming the global recycling industry — and the effects are arriving in South Africa faster than most collectors realise.

What's Being Installed

Cape Town's Coastal Park MRF uses TOMRA optical sorting systems combined with AI-driven material recognition. These systems can identify material type, grade, and contamination level in milliseconds — far more accurately than manual sorting.

The Quality Threshold Is Rising

AI sorting systems have a key consequence: contaminated loads are now automatically flagged and rejected, rather than simply downgraded. A mixed plastic load that previously earned a blended low price now gets sent back entirely.

What Collectors Must Do

The collectors who will thrive are those who separate, clean, and correctly identify their material before arriving. This is exactly what ScanWorth is built for — scan your material, confirm the grade, and arrive with clean sorted loads. The premium for clean material is growing, not shrinking.

✕ Ocean Waste

Cape Town Turns Fishing Nets Into Cash: The Rise of Ocean Waste Recycling

Mar 2026 · 4 min

South Africa's coastline produces a significant and previously undervalued recycling stream: ocean-bound plastic and ghost fishing gear. A pioneering operation at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront is changing how this material is valued and collected.

The V&A Waterfront Programme

The Fishing for Energy initiative collects derelict fishing nets from harbours across the Western Cape. The nets — primarily nylon (PA6) and polypropylene — are shredded into plastic flakes and sold to manufacturers. Collectors can now earn R4–R8/kg for clean fishing nets that previously had zero value.

Ocean-Bound Plastic

Ocean-bound plastic (OBP) — defined as plastic collected within 50km of the coast — commands a premium of 30–50% above virgin plastic pricing from brands including Adidas and Patagonia. South African collectors in coastal areas can access this premium through intermediaries including Prevented Ocean Plastic SA.

✕ Battery Recycling

Battery Recycling in South Africa: From Car Batteries to Lithium-Ion in 2026

Feb 2026 · 5 min

Battery recycling is experiencing rapid growth in South Africa, driven by the dominance of lead-acid batteries in the vehicle market and the emergence of lithium-ion batteries from solar installations.

Lead-Acid Batteries

Standard car battery (12V): R90–R120 each. Truck / HGV battery: R150–R250 each. Deep-cycle (solar/UPS): R80–R160 each. Lead-acid batteries are one of the most recycled products in the world — SA's recycling rate for these batteries exceeds 95%.

Lithium-Ion — The Emerging Opportunity

South Africa's solar installation boom has created millions of lithium-ion battery cells in use. Currently, Enviroserv and Battery World SA pay R15–R40/kg for used lithium-ion cells in bulk. As SA's solar and EV markets grow, lithium recycling prices are expected to rise significantly by 2028–2030.

Safety Warning

Never puncture, crush, or expose lithium-ion batteries to heat. Store them in dry, cool, ventilated areas and transport in non-conductive containers. Only sell to licensed battery recyclers who issue waste manifests.

✕ How-To Guide

How to Get the Best Price for Your Scrap Metal at South African Depots

Jan 2026 · 6 min

Every experienced collector knows: two people can bring the same weight of copper to the same depot and walk out with different amounts. The difference is in preparation and negotiation.

Rule 1: Know the Price Before You Go

Walk into the depot knowing the current market price. Use ScanWorth to scan your material before you leave home. When you state a price — "I understand copper wire is at R85/kg today" — you anchor the negotiation from an informed position.

Rule 2: Separate Your Materials

Mixed loads always get priced at the lowest grade present. Separate your copper from your aluminium, your steel from your brass. Five minutes of sorting at home is worth R50–R200 in extra income on a typical load.

Rule 3: Strip Your Wire

Insulated copper wire earns 30–40% less than bare copper. A wire stripper costs R80 at any hardware store. Over a month of collecting, stripping your own wire adds hundreds of Rands.

Rule 4 & 5: Shop Around and Build Relationships

Prices vary between depots — sometimes 5–15%. Check multiple buyers for large loads. And over time, regular, high-quality suppliers are valued customers at any depot. Be reliable, be professional, and you will be rewarded.