A Mpumalanga recycling project has received acclaim for improving the lives and livelihoods of Ermelo community members while making a positive difference to the environment. When Johanna Leshabane launched Bophelo Recycling in 2007 after being retrenched, little did she know that her dream of fighting unemployment in her community would evolve into an award-winning … [Read more...]
Food-grade rPET facility expands processing capacity
Extrupet has finalised the expansion of its food-grade recycled PET plant, increasing the current processing capacity from 20 000 to over 30 000 tonnes per annum, to facilitate the growing demand for rPET. As PETCO continues to believe that growth in rPET production and consumption is ultimately key to ensuring the sustainability of both the PET and recycling industry, rPET … [Read more...]
Clarity needed on biodegradable and compostable plastics
“Bioplastics” is a term that frequently arises in the media and public domain, and is often touted as the answer to the plastic pollution problem. Unfortunately, the term is often incorrectly used to describe a few different concepts, which can create a lot of confusion in the marketplace. Plastics can be made from either fossil-based (derived from petrochemicals) or … [Read more...]
What does producer responsibility mean for your business?
The impending Section 18 regulations of the Waste Act are set to permanently alter the operating landscape for many South African industries – with a significant shift from voluntary to mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR means producers will be legally obligated to take financial and/or operational responsibility for collecting, sorting and treating their … [Read more...]
Post-consumer PET rates holding steady despite pandemic
In a time when we can all use some good news, PETCO’s PET bottle-to-bottle recycling partner, Extrupet, reported purchasing a whopping 3,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET bottles in May and June this year. This is significant because cold beverage consumption usually drops during the winter months and, according to Extrupet, a good figure under normal circumstances would be … [Read more...]
PET bottle recycling benefits the environment while creating income
Despite global market contractions, and now the rolling economic impact of Covid-19, South Africa’s PET plastic recycling value chain has kept its wheels turning, delivering another positive annual recycling rate while creating thousands of jobs for informal reclaimers who returned to work under level three of the national lockdown. According to new statistics released by … [Read more...]
Pilot programme boost for recycling sector reeling from lockdown
A unique recycling pilot programme in Joburg has delivered welcome results for a sector brought to its knees by the coronavirus lockdown, with informal reclaimers now returning to work after months of enforced quarantine. Data shows how the programme not only boosted the city’s recycling rates and the number of households which actively recycle, but also created much-needed … [Read more...]
SA’s waste reclaimers tell of their lockdown relief
Informal waste reclaimers have spoken of the dire straits they are facing after being forced to stay home as non-essential workers during the Covid-19 national lockdown, leaving their families unsure of where their next meal will come from. In response, the country’s packaging sector has rallied to their aid, raising funds for the donation and distribution of electronic … [Read more...]
Vaalpark reclaimers’ lockdown plight eased
Waste pickers who have not been able to work since the Covid-19 lockdown will have something to keep their hunger at bay after receiving 240 food vouchers. The national PET plastic recycling body PETCO and the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA) donated the vouchers to the families from Vaalpark in Sasolburg. The recipients of the vouchers belong to the … [Read more...]
New recycling project to create jobs in Limpopo
Residents in northern Limpopo are becoming eco warriors, thanks to a new campaign which aims to see environmental waste reduced and much-needed jobs created at the same time. A “separation at source” project is being rolled out in the towns of Thohoyandou and Sibasa in Limpopo’s Thulamela Municipality, thanks to a sponsorship of 200 waste separation bins worth over R160,000 … [Read more...]
Stimulating the PET recycling industry in Kenya
Last year, a Kenyan organisation was able to stimulate the PET recycling industry through its recycler subsidy programme, achieving a recycling rate of 38% or 7,400 tonnes of PET plastic bottles. Established in 2018, PETCO Kenya uses PETCO’S successful South African model as its operating basis. The introduction of additional installed recycling capacity will see revised … [Read more...]
Christmas came early for SA’s recycling SMMEs
Recycling SMMEs around South Africa recently received an early Christmas gift which will aid them in their hard work to rid the environment of plastic pollution. The gifts came in the form of 1,500 recycling bulk bags collectively worth R130,000 and were thanks not to Saint Nick, but rather to Safripol – a national company which manufactures high-density polyethylene and … [Read more...]
Recycling ‘too much effort’ for most South Africans
Data from a new survey tapping into the public’s attitudes towards recycling has revealed that the majority of working and middle-class South Africans simply find recycling too much effort. In the largest consumer research in South Africa of its kind, almost 1,000 adults – mostly from major cities in South Africa, but including peri-urban and rural areas – spanning living … [Read more...]
