South Africa’s biggest waste management conference – WasteCon 2026 – took place at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg in October. Petco was there to share knowledge with industry partners and contribute to this important conversation about the future of circularity.

The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa’s flagship event saw stakeholders gather for three days of discussions around sustainable waste management, recycling and opportunities to strengthen South Africa’s circular economy.

At the heart of the event, on day two, Petco’s stakeholder relations manager, Junaid Francis, was one of four panellists in a discussion moderated by Bonte Edwards on ‘Education as a Driver of Behaviour Change in Waste and Recycling’. This was a practical conversation about what really moves people from awareness to action, with inputs from Petco and fellow panellists Janine Osborne of Sustainable Seas, Charlotte Nell of Aquila Environmental, and Smith Radingwana of Pikitup.

The discussion explored the role of education and awareness in encouraging responsible waste management practices, increasing participation in recycling initiatives and driving positive behavioural change. It highlighted the importance of equipping consumers and other stakeholders with the knowledge needed to support effective collection and recycling systems.

For Petco, education and awareness is a critical part of the work we do to encourage long-term participation by the public in recycling systems.

Junaid outlined the lessons learned from Petco’s work in schools, using on-site activations and inter-schools competitions – in partnership with organisations like Pikitup – to drive engagement, while also providing curriculum-aligned classroom resources through our collaboration with the Pick n Pay Schools Club.

He also shared how Petco uses storytelling to reach a wider audience. We have found that this is often more effective than straightforward information and awareness campaigns. Our docu-series format has been particularly successful in this regard, making heroes of ordinary South Africans, and highlighting the scale and reach of the work being done across the collection and recycling value chain.

Beyond the panel, Petco’s exhibition stand welcomed delegates from the public and private sectors, waste collectors, recycling entrepreneurs and other stakeholders interested in learning more about Petco’s work across the PET and liquid board packaging (LBP) value chains.

Petco’s participation at WasteCon 2026 once again reinforced our commitment to stakeholder collaboration, knowledge-sharing and advancing sustainable recycling practices.