For collection and recycling to be effective, everyone must work together – from households to municipalities. By recycling faithfully week after week, you supply the raw materials (your used packaging), while many municipalities, on the other hand, create the infrastructure that links households to collectors and buy-back centres. Successful waste minimisation depends on everyone playing their part.
This is why Petco works tirelessly with municipalities, seeking first to understand their current waste management practices, and then to find solutions that work for all.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Petco has been working closely with four municipalities to help assess and improve their waste minimisation programmes. These on-the-ground initiatives – from empowering waste pickers with tools and training to expanding the reach of local buy-back centres – are already having a measurable impact.
This year so far, Petco has engaged strategically with four municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Our aim was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the municipalities’ waste minimisation programmes and projects, including separation-at-source initiatives (both at schools and in households), waste picker integration, existing waste collection systems, and waste management infrastructure.
Ultimately, our goal is always to explore potential collaborations to advance more sustainable waste management practices, and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the work being done.
Petco conducted site visits to 13 buy-back centres and other entities that purchase recyclables from waste pickers. By gaining deeper insights into some of the operational conditions and challenges, our team aimed to identify areas for potential assistance through Petco’s equipment and infrastructure support programme.
Our support equips businesses to grow their PET and LBP collection capacities, expand collection areas, and improve working conditions within these operational sites. This, in turn, allows them to create more employment opportunities, and also strengthens the local economy.
As the year progresses, we are committed to working closely with them to provide technical guidance and assist them in meeting waste management regulations and obtaining the necessary operational permits.
Importantly, our efforts aim to strengthen the collection and recycling value chain, ensuring that more recyclable materials move seamlessly from waste collectors to Petco’s contracted recycling partners.
In Ballito, ALPLA recycling’s new food-grade PET facility has brought bottle-to-bottle recycling to KwaZulu-Natal, which now requires a steady supply of feedstock. We are also working to support and enhance LBP collections to achieve the legislated recycling targets.
By working on a variety of fronts, Petco continues to play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable waste management practices, fostering economic development, and ensuring a cleaner environment in KwaZulu-Natal.
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