Oct 2024 | Engaging Communities in Recycling and Sustainability Efforts
Petco Producer Responsibility Organisation NPC
Petco is a trusted, member-focused Producer Responsibility Org. that drives change across the packaging value chain.
This year, Petco celebrates 20 years of working towards a circular economy for South Africa. Our approach has always been a holistic one, and we continue to work in a variety of ways to grow the collection of identified products like PET plastic bottles and jars and liquid board packaging (LBP), and increase recycling capacity, while also stimulating end-use demand for the recycled materials.
Some of our members in Gauteng had the chance to see the impact of our efforts first-hand when they joined us on a recent visit to two businesses that we support in the collection and recycling value chain. (More on that below.)
As a producer responsibility organisation, our job is also to educate all South Africans on the need to collect and recycle, as well as the role that Petco fulfils in this regard. So, as you’ll see in this newsletter, we were delighted to engage with our member Woolworths and their employees during their Good Business Journey Sustainability Week and also exhibit at the City of Cape Town ’s Zero Waste Lifestyle event.
In this edition, you can also read more examples of our ongoing municipal engagements and how we continue to support waste pickers on the ground.
Additionally, we share some useful industry resources, including the key findings of Packaging SA’s report on the paper and packaging sector.
Yours in circularity,
The Petco Team
Petco members join Gauteng site visits
15 August was a memorable day for Petco as we invited some of our Gauteng members to join us on site visits to two local businesses in the collection and recycling value chain – a buy-back centre and a bottle-to-fibre reprocessor – that we’ve previously supported with equipment and training. Accompanying us on the day were member representatives from BevCo , Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) , Tiger Brands , Suntory Holdings Limited , Mpact Limited , ALPLA Group , and 联合利华 .
These annual member engagement outings provide an ideal opportunity for our members to gain first-hand experiences of on-ground operations and meet the people who are building the collection and recycling value chain. They also give our members an opportunity to see how their EPR fees are utilised, and the kind of support and guidance Petco offers to these businesses.
Supporting Woolworths’Good Business Journey
Petco is proud to support our members’ sustainability initiatives, which is why we took part in Woolworths ’ Good Business Journey Sustainability Week at their Cape Town headquarters. Initiatives such as these give us an opportunity to highlight South Africa’s waste management issue and discover viable solutions by engaging with different people in the industry.
At the three-day event, we outlined our strategic role as a producer responsibility organisation and how we help to drive change by ensuring that consumers and our members progress on their sustainability journeys.
We also shared insights into the collection and recycling landscape, and the importance of developing end-use markets for recycled materials. By stimulating demand, we also stimulate collection because post-consumer packaging becomes more valuable and is more likely to be collected by waste pickers.
In addition, the team spoke to the Woolworths employees about the role they play in their personal capacity as consumers and gave good tips on how to start recycling at home.
Encouraging Zero Waste Living with CoCT
As South Africa’s leading producer responsibility organisation (PRO), Petco always takes the opportunity to educate consumers and businesses about the collection and recycling of packaging, and to promote a culture of recycling.
A little while back, Petco was an exhibitor at the City of Cape Town ’s Zero Waste Living event where we introduced residents to our role in the waste management space, and how we work to facilitate collection and recycling in SA.
The reception we received was quite encouraging and many left the Petco stand better informed about the collection and recycling of PET and liquid board packaging (LBP), and the end-use markets that exist for the recycled materials. For us it was also an opportunity to reinforce our relationship with the City of Cape Town – a collaboration which to date has yielded promising results in the municipality’s waste management endeavours.
Equipping Marikana waste pickers for improved efficiency
Waste pickers play an important role in the collection and recycling value chain. Their work helps to keep valuable recyclable packaging out of landfills and improves the health of the communities in which they operate.
One of Petco’s objectives is to ensure waste pickers are integrated into the formal waste management sector. Encouraging them with incentives and empowering them with tools to perform their work more effectively and with dignity.?
Our team recently visited a waste picker group in Marikana in the North-West Province and sponsored them with 37 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE), a branded signage board, 15 waste collection trolleys, and a scale to weigh the recyclable packaging collected.
This equipment will help them to work more efficiently and safely, increase the volumes of recyclable packaging they collect, and ultimately earn a better living.
Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality eyes cleaner future
In our ongoing commitment to support SA’s recycling value chain and to help municipalities that are committed to diverting waste from landfill, Petco recently hosted a support event at a?primary school in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality.
Our objective was to support the area’s buy-back centres and waste pickers by sponsoring them with 48 separation-at-source (S@S) branded bins, personal protective equipment (PPE) consisting of 112 conti-suits and reflectors, and 400 plastic bags.
This Petco initiative was attended by a diverse audience, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) , various recycling companies, Oasis Water , Cashbuild , The Shoprite Group of Companies , Hollywoodbets , as well as educators, learners, and community members, amongst others.
Mayor Merriam Malatji acknowledged Petco, stating that with this help Ba-Phalaborwa could work to restore those former glory days when the municipality was rated as one of the cleanest in South Africa.
Packaging SA releases paper and packaging market report
Packaging SA recently released a detailed report on the South African paper and packaging industry – and the challenges hindering progress in the EPR space.
A key focus was the collection rates for paper and packaging placed on the South African market. The study also measured the value of the material collected and recycled by packaging producers to demonstrate their crucial role in turning waste materials into products of higher economic value.
The outcome of this research further emphasises the critical role of packaging manufacturers in ensuring the success of EPR and the importance of a functioning South African packaging sector.
Science, technology and innovation: change drivers behind SA’s circularity
In the latest edition of Science Scope, former Petco board member Prof Linda Godfrey emphasises the importance of science, technology and innovation as critical to sustainable resource management and transitioning to a more circular economy.
Godfrey also unpacks the role of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in helping SA achieve fuller circularity. As one of SA’s leading scientific and technology research organisations, the CSIR has the capacity to better understand our circular drivers as a country and to explore what the circular economy means across different resource-intensive sectors of the economy.
Godfrey further cites our universities and science councils as key to unlocking technology opportunities, evidencing decision-making, evidencing policy development and implementation, and supporting businesses to de-risk and scale circular interventions.
Developing a costing model forS@S implementation
Engineering and environmental consultancy JG Afrika (Pty) Ltd was recently commissioned by Packaging SA to develop a Separation at Source (S@S) costing model for South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities (where most of our paper and packaging waste is generated). The overall objective of this initiative was to demonstrate the value of a mandatory separation- and collection-at-source model.
Considering the range of materials to be collected (paper, liquid board packaging, plastics, metals, and glass), the costing model developed for Packaging SA and its members (including Petco) can be used as a tool to project the cost implications of sorted waste collection within a catchment area, as well as transport to a recovery or sorting centre.
SAPRO introduces Platinum Design Principles certification
The South Africa Plastic Recycling Organisation (SAPRO), which represents plastics reprocessors in SA, recently introduced its Platinum Design Principles certification for packaging with the Best-In-Class Design for Recycling.
Products carrying this easily identifiable, trademarked badge are certified for retaining the highest material value for recycling.
Essentially, this badge will guide consumers to identify and choose products that prioritise recyclability in their packaging design over branding tactics like bright colours to stand out on shelf.
The QR code displayed on the product also redirects consumers to SAPRO’s website, where they can explore additional information.
Save a Fishie’s epic coastal clean-up
Led by young environmental activist Zo? Prinsloo, and co-sponsored by Petco, Save a Fishie’s most recent mission was an epic six-week beach clean-up along the entire South African coastline. From 1 June to 13 July, the Save a Fishie team travelled 6300 kilometres through 7 provinces, collecting their target of an astonishing 5 tonnes of litter.
Common litter types collected included lollipop sticks, sweet wrappers, bottle caps, plastic bags, broken glass, and pieces of rope. We encourage producers to explore the use of tethered caps for their bottles and cartons to keep these small items out of the environment.
Petco is indeed proud of Zo? and her team for achieving the campaign's goal and for creating awareness around the many litter challenges our beaches and oceans face.
Petco in the news:
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Business Development Manager at CRC Industries
5 个月Thank you for the amazing work you are doing as an organisation, how do we get more initiatives such as yours at our schools? My daughter is in high school and I see how many plastic bottles are just thrown away at the tuckshop and you can imagine what it looks like after a sports event. I believe that we need to teach our kids to be responsible with their waste and this needs to start at school level too. Please can you connect me with someone who can assist (I am Cape Town Based)