Real change does not shout. It starts quietly, rooted in daily effort, and slowly grows, grounded and determined. This year’s Petco Awards are proof of that.

In townships and cities, along coastlines and in the suburbs, people and organisations are changing how many people deal with post-consumer packaging – by collecting, sorting and then recycling it.

Their work is not just changing the recycling landscape. It is changing lives. Throughout South Africa, individuals and organisations in recycling are creating meaningful, lasting impact. Where social inclusion, women’s leadership, youth action and environmental care come together under skilled and motivated leadership, positive change is almost inevitable.

“There is no single solution to the packaging waste challenge,” says Telly Chauke, CEO of Petco. “But every story of impact reminds us that South Africans are not waiting for permission or perfect conditions. They are building change from the ground up — with courage, creativity and collaboration.”

The 2025 winners reflect a sector that is steadily evolving. In the past, the spotlight often fell on how many tonnes of waste were collected — and that still matters. But this year, the stories go deeper, towards real systems change. We are seeing partnerships across sectors, uplifting work in schools and communities, and creative solutions that tackle social and environmental needs at the same time.

Some of the projects are small, even humble — but their intent is bold, and their impact deeply felt. Often, they are led by women, young people and informal workers, each reclaiming not only materials, but opportunity and dignity.

Chauke adds: “What stands out this year is the consistency of heart. Whether it is a waste picker pushing their makeshift trolley through Durban’s streets or a community-driven campaign in Noordhoek, what connects these efforts is a shared sense of responsibility. It is about seeing value where others see waste — and finding possibility where others see obstacles.”

The impact of this year’s Petco Awards winners is not fleeting. It is the kind that quietly takes root — and endures.

Environmental Education and Awareness Initiative

Winner: Goby Foundation

In a category that honours campaigns driving real change in public education and awareness, the Goby Foundation, based in Edenvale, Gauteng, brings something truly original — and deeply rooted in community.

At the centre of its programme is an eye-catching five-metre fish built from wire, which gets filled with plastic waste. While the fish certainly draws attention to reducing, reusing and recycling, it is the way Goby brings sport into environmental education that really sticks. When children run, play and compete, they pick up lessons about waste, and it becomes something they remember and talk about long after the day is done.

Over the past year, Goby has reached more than 4,500 learners across 28 primary schools, with 56 teachers receiving SACE-accredited training in Physical Education. Valuable plastic packaging collected by schools is repurposed into desks or sports gear, reinforcing a circular economy — and offering immediate, visible rewards for participation.

A finalist in this same category last year, the Goby Foundation has grown stronger through partnerships with organisations like UNICEF South Africa, while continuing to support all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Its message is simple, but powerful: sustainability can start with a game, a child, and a shared sense of purpose.

Community Recycling Changemaker

Joint winners:
Keep Plett Clean and Bulelwa Ntlola (Rural Roots Waste Services)

The Community Recycling Changemaker award celebrates people and groups who have created lasting recycling projects that benefit and uplift their communities. This year, the award is shared by two remarkable winners making a real difference on the ground.

Keep Plett Clean has been active in Plettenberg Bay for more than a decade. They organise clean-up days where local communities pitch in, and have set up collection points around town where residents can drop off recyclables with ease. They also run e-waste drives to safely collect old electronics that might otherwise be discarded.

Working closely with local businesses and the municipality, Keep Plett Clean helps maintain the town’s cleanliness while fostering a sense of civic pride.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Cape, Bulelwa Ntlola saw a need — and in 2022, she founded Rural Roots Waste Services. Her buy-back centre takes in plastic and other recyclable packaging, giving people a chance to earn an income from bringing in what might otherwise be thrown away.

With backing from Petco, the business now processes 8 tonnes of PET per month and has reached over 1,000 people through clean-ups and local outreach. Bulelwa brings together learners, parents, waste pickers and shop owners — creating a community effort that combines collecting, sorting and education.

When you look at what Bulelwa has built — and what Keep Plett Clean has achieved — it is clear: this is about more than just bins and bags. It is about jobs, dignity, and caring for the places where people live.

Kerbside Collection and Sorting Superhero

Winner: Greater Tygerberg Partnership

The Kerbside Collection and Sorting Superhero award recognises separation-at-source projects that are efficient, long-running and rooted in community. This year’s winner, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP), ticks every box through its Trolley and Recycling Project, which is changing the face of Bellville’s CBD — and the lives of its residents.

Launched in 2019, the project offers waste pickers in Bellville a more organised and secure way to earn a living. In partnership with the Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District, MES Cape Town and Green Cape, it has evolved into a hands-on, community-driven response to waste and unemployment.

The initiative supports homeless and unemployed individuals by providing them with daily stipends, job training, and upgraded trolleys designed for safety and capacity.

The opening of a buy-back centre in 2021 and the introduction of a free recycling pickup service have taken the project even further – offering ongoing support to waste pickers by linking them to formal recycling markets and enabling them to earn more from their collections, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the model.

In the past year alone, the project processed over 113,000 kilograms of recyclables and generated more than R97,000 in sales. It has created 23 jobs for homeless or unemployed people, supported by 75 local businesses. Petco has worked closely with GTP on several projects in Bellville to strengthen community recycling.

Founded in 2012, GTP is a non-profit agency focused on helping Bellville become a more connected, inclusive town. The Trolley and Recycling Project is one of its most impactful efforts to date.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Joint Winners: Keitumetse Mata (Boikanyo-Lesedi Environmental Waste Management) and Sifiso Gumbi (Urban Surfer)

This year’s Entrepreneur of the Year award honours two visionaries turning South Africa’s waste challenges into opportunity — with ingenuity, purpose and deep commitment to people and planet.

In 2019, Keitumetse Mata launched Boikanyo-Lesedi Environmental Waste Management in Welkom, Free State. What started as a small operation to create jobs for young people has grown into a thriving business, collecting more than 130 tonnes monthly across eight waste streams. Supporting around 600 people in 18 towns, her team of 16 works with various partners — a shining example of one person’s vision growing into a business that uplifts an entire community.

In Gauteng, Sifiso Gumbi is building something equally powerful. Through Urban Surfer, the team has established a secure, solar-powered sorting hub, the Parktown Reclaimer Camp, providing safe and structured workspaces, protective gear, food gardens and digital tools for around 470 informal waste pickers. In just one year, the camp has diverted 150 tonnes of tyres, 700 tonnes of cardboard, and 10 tonnes of PET from landfill – proving that smart, human-centred systems can drive environmental impact.

Both entrepreneurs prove what is possible when business puts people at the centre. They are not just recovering waste — they are rebuilding lives.

Responsible Packaging Design

Winner: Woodlands Dairy, for their ECO+ tethered cap

At first glance, it is just a milk cap. But for Woodlands Dairy, it is a small improvement that makes a big difference.

The company is South Africa’s first to introduce tethered caps on its First Choice Extended Shelf Life milk cartons — a simple design shift with significant environmental benefits. These caps stay attached to the carton, making them less likely to become litter and easier to recycle along with the packaging.

Made from 100% renewable materials and weighing up to 30% less than standard caps, the CueCap Eco+ design is already widely used in Europe. By adopting this innovation early, Woodlands Dairy has taken a clear step towards more responsible, future-ready packaging.

It is a small adjustment that reflects a bigger mindset: thinking ahead, and treating every part of the product as part of the sustainability story.

Conscious Consumer Champion

Winner: Project Noordhoeked

The Conscious Consumer Champion award celebrates those who inspire others to make more sustainable choices every day. This year’s winner is Karoline Hanks and her grassroots organisation, Project Noordhoeked.

What began with beach clean-ups has grown into a much wider community initiative. Karoline has created jobs for three local men who clear plastic and rubbish from Noordhoek Beach, nearby roads and rivers. Visitors are invited to take part too, dropping waste into a wire whale sculpture that often fills with up to 10 bags of litter each week.

The project also collects organic waste from restaurants, homes and stables, which is composted locally and sold back to the community. The team works hard to clear invasive plants and repair trails to protect Noordhoek’s natural spaces.

Karoline’s journey is a reminder that big change often starts with small groups taking consistent action — and inspiring others to follow.

Circular Economy Facilitation

Winner: USE-IT — Waste Beneficiation (RF) NPC

This year’s Circular Economy Facilitation award goes to USE-IT, a non-profit leading the way in waste beneficiation, enterprise support and job creation in eThekwini.

At its Hammarsdale centre, USE-IT transforms waste into opportunity: composting food scraps, turning rubble into building bricks, refashioning textiles into high-end items, and repurposing waste wood into toys for early learning. Working with partners like CSIR, CHEP and township businesses, USE-IT delivers practical solutions that reduce landfill strain while opening up work opportunities.

In the past year, the team has processed over 1,400 tonnes of waste, supported 105 waste collectors, assisted three buy-back centres and helped four small enterprises take root. They also provide training in composting and other green skills that help build more stable livelihoods.

Backed by eThekwini’s Economic Development Unit and other partners, USE-IT shows how circular thinking and collaboration can drive lasting impact at city level.

Petco’s Level Up Award

Winner: TK Recycling, founded by Mary Maphula

The Level Up Award recognises projects or businesses that have previously been supported with infrastructure, equipment or training from Petco, and have leveraged that support to catapult their businesses to the next level.

These businesses have gone on to make a positive impact – cleaning up their communities and improving waste management in their areas, creating local income opportunities, and increasing the collection and reprocessing of valuable recyclable packaging, thereby keeping it out of the environment and landfill.

TK Recycling is one such success story. In 2024 alone, they collected more than 189 tonnes of recyclables, including PET plastic bottles and liquid board packaging (LBP).

At its heart are more than 30 women who work at the nearby landfill, collecting recyclables while receiving groceries in exchange — ensuring families are fed while bringing dignity and meaning to their work. TK Recycling also partners with Victoria Yards to provide further community support.

Their work extends even further: feeding 80 people regularly, running a second-hand clothing programme, and operating a soup kitchen. They also provide support to those recovering from addiction, in partnership with a local social worker.

This award celebrates how dedication, paired with the right support, can grow into something much more — a place where environmental care and community upliftment go hand in hand.