An initiative to build green entrepreneur training in higher education has taken aim at the deluge of plastic waste flooding planet Earth.
The initiative -- a joint project of the Mr Price Foundation and Universities South Africa -- invites students and recent graduates to turn plastic waste into commercially viable solutions.
The “Waste Innovation Challenge,” as it will be known, is a national competition inviting students and recent graduates to develop commercially viable solutions that curb plastic waste.
The launch, hosted at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in Pietermaritzburg this week, in recognition of the institution’s ongoing work in green innovation, applies research and sustainable waste practices within the KwaZulu-Natal region.
Plastic waste is a platform for enterprise development, innovation and economic participation.
Students from all 26 public universities are challenged to reimagine plastic waste as a resource, transformable into products, services or technologies with clear environmental benefit and commercial potential.
Dr. Edwell Gumbo, director of entrepreneurship development in Higher Education (EDHE) at Universities South Africa (USAf), where he drives entrepreneurship initiatives across all 26 public universities, said, “The Waste Innovation Challenge shows what entrepreneurship in higher education can deliver when it is linked to real market needs.
“It gives students a structured pathway to build solutions with commercial potential.
“It also strengthens the role of universities in supporting a more sustainable economy, while developing sustainable waste solutions in the country.”
The Usaf programme leads recruitment across the public university system, co-ordinating university participation and delivering the entrepreneurship development pipeline from training through to the national finals.
In 2023 SA recycled approximately 431,800 tonnes of plastic, yet only 27.5% of collected plastic material was processed into usable recycled materials, highlighting gaps between collection, processing and value creation.
SA generates over 100 million tonnes of general waste annually, with the majority landfilled or stockpiled.
“Placing this work within higher education expands the role of universities as sites of innovation that translate learning into enterprise — and enterprise into livelihoods,” said Octavius Phukubye, executive director at the Mr Price Foundation.
“Economic resilience grows when young people can turn real problems into viable businesses.
“It is designed to build green entrepreneurs, connecting opportunity to practical skills, opening credible pathways, and solutions that can scale in the real economy.
“Access at scale is through universities, reaching young innovators where they learn, build and test ideas.
“It strengthens entrepreneurship development in higher education as a practical bridge between education and enterprise.”
Up to 400 qualifying participants will receive training in waste-to-value business models, circular economy principles, product development and pitching.
From this cohort, 20 teams will be selected for an intensive boot camp, before finalists present their innovations at the EDHE National Finals in the final quarter of the year.
Five winning teams will share R245, 000 in prize funding, with R100,000 awarded to first place, R75, 000 to second place, R40, 000 to third place, R20, 000 to fourth place, and R10, 000 to fifth place.
Winning teams will also receive mentorship, business development support, technical and sustainability training, and national exposure to partners and potential investors.
“The Foundation’s role is to bring the ecosystem together,” Phukubye added.
“We connect youth potential to capability, opportunity and enterprise.
“We back solutions that are rooted in local realities. We back solutions that can scale.”
HOW TO ENTER: Complete the Expression of Interest form on the EDHE website:www.edhe.co.za