Not all heroes wear caps, some wear gloves and helmets, standing at the front line of South Africa’s waste crisis. Meet Exergy Enviro Group, a startup that is set to turn waste into opportunity, and now one of the 20 startups selected to join the DSTI × EPF Venture Building Programme.
Founded in 2014 by Innocent Sibeko in Vanderbijlpark, Exergy Enviro Group has grown from a small local initiative into a trusted leader in waste-management innovation. Sibeko’s vision was simple but urgent: to solve the waste problem with technology, accountability, and sustainability at the center.
“South Africa faces growing challenges with waste, from landfills under pressure to new forms of pollution. At Exergy, we are determined to turn waste into value and create solutions that serve both communities and the environment,” says Innocent Sibeko, Founder and CEO of Exergy.
Exergy provides integrated waste solutions from industrial and hazardous waste consultancy to HAZMAT spill response, recycling, and bio-risk disposal. Their intended use of RFID tracking and cloud-based reporting ensures accountability at every stage, proving that waste management can be both transparent and tech-driven.
But the company isn’t stopping there, on the issue of textile waste, Sibeko highlights a growing crisis of South Africa receiving bales of second-hand clothing from overseas, much of which cannot be resold. These items end up in landfills, adding pressure to already shrinking landfill spaces.
“We see AI not as a job killer, but as a tool to make waste management faster and safer. From route optimization to classifying hazardous waste, AI helps us move waste more efficiently without risking chemical reactions during transport,” Sibeko carefully stresses the human element on the Al integration.
On rethinking waste as a resource, Sibeko adds “we are exploring global best practices to reduce, reuse, and recycle, including re-manufacturing automotive components to factory standards. This reduces landfill waste while cutting down the energy needed to manufacture from scratch,”
And lastly on the issue of funding and partnerships, Sibeko stresses the role of policy by saying that as the waste management industry they need stronger government interventions to unlock the global climate change funding. “A centralized platform for accessing international donor support that will accelerate innovation and impact in South Africa’s waste sector.
Exergy’s journey began over a decade ago with a dream and the determination to solve the local waste management crisis. Fast-forward to 2025, the company has now stepped onto a bigger stage through the DSTI × EPF Venture Building Programme, a partnership between the Department of Science and Innovation and the Empire Partner Foundation.
The DSTI × EPF programme took startups through three phases already:
- Ideation & Onboarding
- Strategy & Product Roadmap Development
- Buzz Generation (Current Phase) – where startups build visibility and public engagement.
For Exergy, this means leveraging AI and digital tools to supercharge operations, from plant automation to real-time customer engagement. It’s not just about managing waste anymore, it’s about leading digital transformation into green industries.
With momentum on their side, Exergy is active:
- Building their public profile through campaigns like Startup Diaries.
- Pitching to media and industry leaders to gain visibility.
- Testing AI-powered waste-to-energy solutions that could transform how South Africa powers its future.
This is only the beginning. Exergy’s path points toward regional expansion, greater climate impact, and positioning South Africa as a green tech leader on the continent.
