Before Petco got involved with the collection and recycling of LBP, these cartons were not prominently recycled.

The fact is, LBP is recyclable, where wide-scale collection and recycling infrastructure is in place, with its constituent parts – card, plastic and aluminium – all having a place in the recycling value chain.

For this reason, Petco has been hard at work with high-impact activations that raise awareness about the value of collecting, sorting, and recycling LBP. (With LBP, think long-life milk, custard, maas, and fruit juice cartons.)

From the Eastern Cape to Gauteng, our recent LBP activations are bringing together waste pickers, buy-back centres, and municipalities to expand LBP collections. Through community engagement and cash prizes as incentives, our efforts are driving the adoption of LBP in South Africa’s recycling culture.

Our first stop was in the Eastern Cape, where we partnered to host a two-day LBP activation drive. The aim was to increase the volume of cartons being collected while educating participants on how LBP can and should be recycled.

Meanwhile, a mega activation in Midrand saw waste pickers and recycling stakeholders get together for a three-day push to raise awareness around LBP. Ahead of the activation, Petco engaged waste picker villages to help maximise turnout and impact.

In total, more than 90 waste pickers took part, collecting over 5.6 tonnes of used cartons. Cash prizes were offered, with the top collector recovering an impressive 513 kilograms.

Thanks to support from key industry leaders and Mpact Recycling, the event was an absolute success, shining a light on the importance of LBP recovery – one carton at a time.