For Petco’s team in the Northern Cape, a week of collaborating across the Pixley ka Seme District highlighted the critical importance of working with government to understand local recycling realities – because these can vary widely within a single district.

The team joined the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), provincial Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform (DAERL), as well as local municipalities for a series of recycling workshops, landfill site visits and outreach engagements with waste reclaimers who were unable to attend the main sessions.

These engagements were productive, as they helped to identify the different opportunities that are the right fit for each municipality.

For example, some of the local municipalities have no active waste reclaimers, which creates an opportunity to explore and introduce circular economy initiatives. Others have working waste pickers, who are not yet aware of the potential of additional waste streams, like liquid board packaging. For many participants, the sessions opened up new possibilities for recycling and income generation.

Once again, this on-the-ground work demonstrated the value of collaboration in building awareness, identifying local opportunities, and working with all tiers of government  to strengthen recycling and circular economy initiatives within municipalities.