From Spotless Streets to Climate Hope: A South African in Beijing

Editor's note: Foreign assistance cooperation in human resources development serves as a window for China to share the theory and practice of Chinese modernization with other developing countries, contributing Chinese experience and solutions to the capacity building of those countries. From July 9 to 22, a training workshop on climate change response and green development under the Global Development Initiative, initiated by the China International Development Cooperation Agency and organized by the China Meteorological Administration International Cooperation and Training Center, was carried out in Beijing. More than 20 officials, scholars and business representatives from eight countries -- including Iraq, South Africa and Cambodia -- in the fields of climate change and green development attended the event. Londiwe Mbuyisa, one of the trainees, is a senior lecturer at Mangosuthu University of Technology in South Africa and founder of Isphepho Group, which is mainly engaged in waste management and provides recycling and environmental protection solutions. Her time in China allowed her to have firsthand experience of China's innovative practices in addressing climate change and environmental governance and to form her own thoughts and understanding on how to leverage China's experience to promote sustainable development in South Africa.

Stepping out of Beijing Airport into my cab, I was stunned. The streets were spotless. I kept peering out the window, waiting for the illusion to break, but it did not. Kilometer after kilometer, the pavements remained immaculate, trees were perfectly trimmed, and even the traffic islands looked manicured. It was as if the city had undergone a royal inspection.

I leaned forward and asked the driver, "Is it always this clean?" He did not catch it. I typed the question into my translator app and asked again. He gave a polite nod, slightly puzzled — this was normal to him. But to me, it felt almost otherworldly — a city so immaculately kept, it seemed choreographed, as if even the wind had been taught not to litter.

Throughout my stay, I did not see a single paper or plastic bag drifting along the streets. No billboards pleading with people to recycle. Yet everywhere — from hotels to sidewalks to tourist sites, bins were separated, waste was in its place, and the system just worked.

As a South African working in the waste and circular economy sector, I could not help but wonder: How did they get it so right?

I became curious. I noticed the street-cleaning trucks not just sweeping but spraying water to remove dust. Blue and white recycling trucks were stationed strategically. Dual bins with clear signage dotted every public space. No noisy campaigns — just quiet, consistent action.

Then I discovered something even more fascinating: Beijing uses an advanced digital waste management system. Residents use smart kiosks to deposit sorted waste and earn small rewards. One screen can trace the entire waste journey — from a restaurant's organic leftovers to a transfer station. Built with AI, IoT and big data, the system ensures that sorted waste remains separated. It's not just clean, it's intelligent.

For South Africa, this feels like a glimpse of the future. We have made progress: solid environmental legislation, increasing municipal participation, more recycling buy-back centers, and organizations like Isphepho Group, which is doing pioneering work in schools and communities to promote Separation at Source (S@S).

But we also face persistent challenges: illegal dumping, public apathy, overstretched municipal budgets and fragmented systems. We still rely heavily on landfills, many of them unsustainable. And as climate change accelerates, this isn't just a waste issue, it's a health, resilience and justice issue.

When waste meets climate

One of the most sobering lessons from my time in China came during the Seminar on Climate Change Response and Green Development, where I was introduced to China’s robust early warning systems. Their meteorological infrastructure can detect potential disasters, send alerts and activate rapid response mechanisms. It saves lives.

South Africa desperately needs this.

In April 2022, the KwaZulu Natal floods claimed 436 lives and inflicted over 17 billion rand ($958.26 million) in damages. Then, in June 2025, the Eastern Cape floods resulted in around 102 deaths, left over 4,700 people homeless and exposed a startling lack of early-warning systems or emergency rescue capacity, including delayed helicopter access and absent specialist dive or K9 teams. A school bus crossing near Mthatha was engulfed in floodwaters; several learners, as well as the driver and conductor, lost their lives while others clung to trees until rescued. Families watched helplessly as disaster unfolded in real time.

These aren't just statistics. They are our neighbors, our children, our future. And they are paying the price for our unreadiness.

Rethinking waste as climate resilience

This experience has reshaped the focus of my PhD. Waste is no longer just about waste. It's about resilience. It's about health and about climate justice. Landfills emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Dumped waste clogs drains and worsens flooding. Polluted rivers threaten food security.

If we win the war on waste, we strike a powerful blow against climate change.

Organizations like Isphepho Group are already laying the groundwork, turning waste education into a lifestyle shift. In schools, children are learning to sort, recycle and rethink their relationship with consumption. These small acts can spark generational transformation.

What South Africa needs now

China's success shows that transformation is possible, through policy, infrastructure, technology and public buy-in. We must act urgently. Our country needs:

• funding to build digital infrastructure and disaster early warning systems

• partnerships between government and private players to scale smart waste solutions

• public education that builds recycling into culture, not campaigns

• community investment to ensure the most vulnerable benefit from green development

• research that grounds innovation in our unique local realities.

The world is shifting. The climate is speaking. The question is: will we listen in time?

Beijing reminded me that change doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, it starts with a clean street, a sorted bin, and a citizen who does the right thing — without being asked.

I came to China as a student. I leave as a believer. Inspired. Committed. And more hopeful than ever that South Africa, too, can build a cleaner, safer and more resilient future, one small action at a time.

By Ms Londiwe Mbuyisa