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.

With various key players in urban waste management exhibiting alongside Petco, one of the event’s main objectives was to inspire collective action to drive change. We aimed to do this by sharing information about why, what and how to recycle.

The Masterclass that formed part of the initiative also gave attendees valuable insights into the challenges and the opportunities available in the waste management sector.

For Petco, the biggest takeaway from this event was that the collective mindset of undervaluing waste needs urgent reform. Post-consumer waste has value that can be recovered through recycling and progressive waste management strategies.

Harnessing the potential of waste materials by turning them into products of higher economic value is the only way forward if we want to make a meaningful and lasting impact.