Petco is continuously looking for ways to assist small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) operating on the frontlines of SA’s collection and recycling value chain.

Hendrina Recycling in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, is one such business. The business is also part of the Zonda Insila Programme (ZIP), which is a 2021 Petco Award winner in the ‘Worth in Your Waste’ category.

This programme, which is supported by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, was launched in Breyton in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality in March 2019, with only four projects. It has since grown to a total of 14 projects, encouraging communities, and specifically young people, to see waste as the new wealth and to create employment and business opportunities in this sector.

Our team recently engaged with Hendrina Recycling’s owner to find out how we could add value and help to increase the collection and baling of recyclable packaging.

After a stringent application process, the business was granted support in the form of an H15 baler. The baler will help take Hendrina Recycling to the next level by squashing large volumes of waste materials to a fraction of their original size, making transport and storage much easier.

There was great excitement when we visited the site to hand over the new machine and useful promotional items, including posters, branded caps and reflector vests.

Over the last four years, Hendrina Recycling has established itself as a key role player in reducing the area’s waste challenges.

Established in 2020, and with Hendrina town being its central point, its operations cover an impressive 200-kilometre radius. The business collects waste from landfills, other buy-back-centres, local businesses, retail stores, Hendrina Power Station, and the local township.

The business is also part of the Zonda Insila Programme (ZIP), which is a 2021 Petco Award winner in the ‘Worth in Your Waste’ category. This programme, which is supported by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, was launched in Breyton in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality in March 2019, with only four projects. It has since grown to a total of 14 projects, encouraging communities, and specifically young people, to see waste as the new wealth and to create employment and business opportunities in this sector.