Question 1

How do I recycle at home?

Accepted Answer

Remove residue.
    Flatten pack.
    Put the cap back on.
    Use a bin or clear bag to separate packaging from general waste.
    Employ a private collection service, give to waste pickers, take to a drop-off site, or check if your municipality has a collection service in the area in which you live.

Question 2

What do I need to recycle at home?

Accepted Answer

Two bags or two bins. One for recyclable packaging and one for waste.

Question 3

Where can I recycle?

Accepted Answer

You can recycle packaging by giving them to waste pickers, taking them to buy-back centres, using a local recycling drop-off location, sell it at a buy-back centre listed on Petco’s website or check if your municipality has a collection service in the area in which you live.

Question 4

Can I recycle PET plastic bottles in South Africa?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PET plastic bottles and jars are widely collected and recycled in South Africa.

Question 5

How do I know if packaging is recyclable?

Accepted Answer

Check the On-Pack-Recycling-Label (OPRL) packaging label for recycling information. Not all packaging will have an OPRL, if there isn’t one, check with your local collector to see if they will take it.

Question 6

What is separation at source?

Accepted Answer

Separation at source means sorting recyclable materials from general waste at home, school or work to improve recycling outcomes due to decreased contamination.

Question 7

What happens to recycling after it is collected?

Accepted Answer

Recyclables are sorted, processed and converted into materials that are used to manufacture new products.

Question 8

Can I recycle milk and juice cartons?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Liquid Board Packaging is used to package long-life milk, custard and juice and can be recycled where collection and recycling infrastructure systems exist.

Question 9

Why is recycling important?

Accepted Answer

Recycling reduces landfill waste, supports income opportunities for waste pickers, formal collectors, and contributes to the circular economy.

Question 10

How do I start a recycling programme at work?

Accepted Answer

Start by: 

Getting support from office management and building management.  
Conducting a basic waste assessment.  
Setting up separate bins for recyclables and general waste.  
Partnering with a waste collection company (it is a good idea to start with finding out if there is someone who operates in the area. without this integral part in place, the programme would not be able to get off the ground.) 
Identify bin storage area. 
Educating staff on how to recycle correctly.

Question 11

What is a waste assessment and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

A waste assessment helps you understand: 

 What types of waste your workplace generates.  
 How much of it is recyclable. 
 This allows you and your collection partner to design an effective recycling system.

Question 12

What bins are needed for office recycling?

Accepted Answer

You need: 

Clearly labelled bins for recyclable packaging.  
Separate bins for general waste. 
Strategic bin placement e.g. paper bin by printer, general packaging in the kitchen area. 
Consistent bin placement improves participation.

Question 13

What packaging materials can be recycled in an office?

Accepted Answer

Common recyclable materials include: 
PET plastic bottles and jars 
Other plastic bottles and containers (#2, #4, #5, #6) 
Liquid Board Packaging cartons 
Aluminium cans and tins 
Paper and cardboard  
Glass 
E-Waste – this will need special disposal

Question 14

How should recyclables be prepared in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

Remove residue.  
Flatten pack. 
Put the cap back on. 
Separate from general waste.

Question 15

How do we get staff to participate in recycling?

Accepted Answer

Provide clear signage.  
Run awareness sessions.  
Share simple recycling steps.  
Appoint a recycling champion or coordinator.  
Repetition – keep reminding employees about best recycling practices.

Question 16

Who collects recycling from offices?

Accepted Answer

Recycling can be collected by: 

  Waste pickers (depending on the size and frequency of collections) 
  Private collection company.

Question 17

Why is workplace recycling important?

Accepted Answer

Reduces waste sent to landfill.  
Creates a more sustainable working environment.  
Supports the recycling value chain.

Question 18

Why is recycling important in schools?

Accepted Answer

Recycling in schools: 

  Teaches responsible waste management.  
  Could reduce cost of waste disposal. 
  Potentially generates income for the school. 
  Encourages behaviour change from a young age.  
  Supports cleaner school environments.  
  Learners take the knowledge back home to parents and the broader community.

Question 19

Who leads the programme?

Accepted Answer

Identify a “project champion”. It is vital to obtain top-level support from the school’s principal who should “endorse” the
proposed recycling initiative at their school. The principal is likely to hand down the actual project champion to a staff member or a teacher who has the capacity and is passionate enough to oversee the project and act as a champion for it.

Question 20

What is a Waste Management Committee?

Accepted Answer

This committee is there to jointly drive the project, give multi-stakeholder input and ensure that available expertise is utilised.
The committee should ideally include (but need not be limited to) a:

    
        Representative from top management:
        It would be ideal if the school’s principal could be directly involved, as it would ensure the project receives full support from the leadership.
    

    
        Representatives from educators:
        The committee should include at least three educator representatives.
    

    
        Representative from the governing body:
        The support from the governing body is crucial for the success of the project.
    

    
        Representative from the administrative staff:
        A person who has a good overview of the school’s finances, including key expenditures, and can capture earned revenue in a professional and transparent format to be communicated to learners and parents alike to maintain high motivational levels.
    

    
        Learner representative:
        This is vital, as learners will assist in generating awareness and support amongst their peers.
    

    
        Representative from the school cleaning staff:
        Although learners, educators and parents can do a great deal to ensure the success of the project, the support and buy-in of the cleaning staff is essential, as they are likely to be instrumental in the additional recovery of recyclable materials from waste that ends up erroneously in rubbish bins.

Question 21

Why you need a Waste Audit?

Accepted Answer

Ascertain how many recyclable materials you are likely to collect, but also what minimum quantity of recyclable materials you need to collect. 

Most schools would have to collect more than one type of recyclable material to produce the volumes required for a collection company to come and collect. Therefore, you will need to know how much recyclable materials are currently ending up in your rubbish bins and bags.  
 
To establish the minimum quantities that you need to supply to a recycler before they will collect from your school, contact local collectors and recyclers.

Question 22

What does a Waste Audit entail?

Accepted Answer

What are the main types of waste generated at your school? How much of it is packaging material, and what kind(s) of packaging is there?  
How many recyclable materials (PET plastic and liquid board cartons) does your school generate per week/month?  
Where does your school produce the most waste? Classrooms, sports fields, offices, tuck  
shop results in recyclable materials and non-recyclable materials. You need to know how much of what is generated will need to go to landfill (mostly food waste).  
Are waste items being produced at your school for which you could possibly source alternative materials?  
Are there possibilities to work with the local community to collect enough recyclable materials to make your project viable?

Question 23

What is needed on-site?

Accepted Answer

Space: Sufficient, enclosed, undercover, and secure space to store and separate the recyclable materials until the minimum amount is reached for collection.

Access: Your site should be easily accessible to both the collector and people from the surrounding communities, who could be given permission to drop off recyclables to significantly boost your collection volumes. This access should not interfere with normal school operations and should not endanger the safety of the staff and learners.

Security: To prevent vandalism or illegal dumping, you should restrict access to your collection area after hours. It may be necessary to arrange for appropriate security measures such as supervision by staff, volunteers or a security company.

Health and safety: Consider the possible odour (if wet and/or dirty recyclable materials are included among the materials collected), the effect of insects (bees in particular), keeping the recyclable materials collection area away from high traffic areas, as well as the possibility of creating a fire hazard. Your school&#8217;s health and safety officer will have to give input on these matters.

Protection from the elements: Ensure that your recyclable material sorting/pre-processing area (if required by the collector) and storage area is enclosed and that materials collected will not blow around the school when it is windy.

Bulk bags: You will need bulk bags to store recyclable materials for collection. You can ask your collector to supply you with those if it is part of their service. You could also contact Petco in this regard.

Protective clothing: Ensure that all volunteer staff and other cleaning staff have the necessary protective clothing, gloves in particular, if you collect other recyclable materials such as breakable glass.

Question 24

How to increase revenue

Accepted Answer

Organise competitions between classes, year groups and even nearby schools.
 
Acquire a scale so that existing office administrators can do some simple record keeping, making sure the collector pays you a fair price for the recyclable materials you collect.
 
Focus on one type of recyclable material at a time and grow your collections from there. This allows you to work out the difficulties that may arise with contractual, collection, sorting and educational components.
 
The team can create signs or contact local businesses as corporate sponsors and alert the local media of the programme. Considering holding a kick-off event at your school site and perhaps tracking and graphing your recycling success to share with your students every month.
 
Based on the waste audit, the team may suggest revising existing procurement policies. They may request replacing non-recyclable items with ones that can be recycled or reused.

Question 25

What materials can schools recycle?

Accepted Answer

Schools can collect the following. Whether they will be recycled depends on the size, quality and quantity of packaging collected: 

Paper and cardboard.  
PET plastic bottles and jars  #1. 
HDPE containers and bottles #2. 
LDPE flexible bottles or squeezy sauce bottles #4. 
PP bottlecaps and yoghurt containers #5. 
Liquid Board Packaging cartons. 
Aluminium cans and tins.  

Please Note:
These are subject to volumes collected as well as whether they’re recycled in your area.

Question 26

How should learners prepare recyclables?

Accepted Answer

Learners should: 

 Remove residue.  
 Flatten packaging.  
 Place recyclables in the correct bin.

Question 27

How can schools encourage participation in recycling?

Accepted Answer

Include recycling in lessons or activities.  
 Use posters and signage.  
 Run recycling awareness campaigns or competitions.  
 Assign roles or responsibilities to students and teachers.

Question 28

What is separation at source in schools?

Accepted Answer

It means separating recyclable packaging from general waste at the point where waste is generated, such as classrooms or common areas.

Question 29

How Petco can help your school

Accepted Answer

Educational materials such as posters, curriculum-aligned content, and recyclable material collection bags.  
Schools can also apply for banners and bins, as well as the setup of recycling stations, by reaching out to info@petco.co.za and viewing our free resources.

Question 30

Why is recycling important on university campuses?

Accepted Answer

Universities generate large volumes of waste and students are our future leaders. Recycling helps instil responsibility in young adults:


    Reduce landfill waste.
    Achieve national recycling targets with Petco.
    Create environmental change for future generations.

Question 31

Where do we start?

Accepted Answer

Ensure university authorities are aware of, approve and support the aims and responsibilities of such a programme. Work within the accepted lines of authority, and where necessary with the help of the marketing and communication departments, to ensure that this basic requirement is met. Without senior management approval, it will be more difficult to implement a wide-reaching programme that will require commitment from staff and students alike.

Question 32

Who should lead the programme?

Accepted Answer

Vital to an effective programme is the appointment of a waste reduction and recycling coordinator. This person can be expected to:


    Oversee recycling contracts and agreements.
    Maintain compliance with national and municipal regulations.
    Research programmes about similar university initiatives.
    Network with other coordinators from other campuses.
    Prepare and manage budgets.
    Develop promotional material and education programmes for staff, faculty, and students.
    Develop meaningful and stable communication channels to reach staff, faculty and students and provide regular programme updates.
    Track collection, recycling and solid waste tonnages, and calculate diversion reports.
    Maintain equipment.
    Provide training.
    Supervise collection and education staff.
    Prepare reports and proposals.
    Promote the programme to the campus community.

Question 33

How to prepare

Accepted Answer

The project coordinator will need to spend time on analyses of the current situation and communicating with key campus personnel, including relevant members of the various academic departments, campus administration and cleaning staff, as well as managers of student recreational areas. The coordinator should assess the impact on the campus and overall waste generation volumes and types of waste.  

Once potential source reduction initiatives have been identified, the coordinator would have to work with the waste reduction committee and relevant decision-makers to suggest the necessary operational changes: 
 
 Campus canteen/tuck shops (and the decision of what kind of food and beverages they are allowed to sell, and in what type of packaging) play a major role. Preference should be given to recyclable packaging.  
 
 Educate people about source reduction and recycling practices. Implement formal policies and procedures.  
 
 If the university is part of any other sustainability initiative it makes sense to place a waste reduction programme under the same banner and utilise the same people already involved rather than to design a programme in isolation and from scratch.  
 
 When proposing source reduction policies, remember also that cost savings are more likely to sway decision makers than environmental concerns. Administrators and department directors are more likely to appreciate the fiscal impact.

Question 34

What is a waste reduction committee?

Accepted Answer

The role of this committee is to investigate waste reduction and recycling options for the campus. It should be comprised of administrators, staff, faculty, and students. Working with the waste reduction coordinator, the committee would:  
 
  Evaluate current solid waste management plans and practices on campus.  
  Create a new plan or blueprint that includes recycling as a major element.  
  Monitor the implementation of the plan and the adherence to its goals and objectives.  
  Have the ongoing task of investigating additional recycling activities, policies, and procedures.  
  Decide how important it is that you also raise an income from the waste materials collected.

Question 35

What is a waste identification study?

Accepted Answer

A waste identification study identifies what types of materials comprise significant portions of your waste stream at certain key activity areas on your campus. It also identifies the origin of the materials and provides the information needed to prioritise collection and recycling, in addition to other waste reduction activities. 
Some of this information can be gathered through existing waste management records and informally by walking through the campus and looking inside waste containers to ascertain what materials are being left in waste bins that service a particular area.

Question 36

How to set up collection and recycling infrastructure

Accepted Answer

Bins on campus must be marked to ensure separation of recyclable materials from non-recyclables. A good idea is to use a two-bin system.  
  Sufficient, enclosed, undercover and secure space is required to store any separated mixed recyclables until the minimum amount is reached for collection, ideally by a local collector or collection service.  
  Your materials storage area(s) should be easily accessible to both the collector and possibly even people from the surrounding communities, should you have space and capacity for a supervised recycling drop-off location on campus. Your university could therefore significantly boost its material collection volumes.  
  Consider health and safety issues, among others, the possible odour (of wet and/or dirty recyclable materials), effects of insects (particularly bees), the possibility of creating a fire hazard and any other issues that pose a risk, especially in high traffic areas.  
  To prevent vandalism or illegal dumping, restrict access to your collection area after hours.  
  You will need bulk bags which store recyclable materials for collection. Your collection company should supply you with those as part of their service.  
  Staff/volunteers &#8211; It is important to decide who will be responsible for emptying bins and supervising your storage areas. Even if you make use of a specialist outside collector, you will still need people to perform basic duties.   
  Protective clothing – Ensure that all staff and volunteers, including cleaning staff who become involved in materials recovery and storage, have the necessary protective clothing, e.g. gloves (if you collect recyclable materials such as highly breakable glass bottles.)

Question 37

How to manage collection and drop-offs

Accepted Answer

Identify a suitable area where the recyclable materials may be stored during the collection phase (before being picked up or taken off site). 
  The site should be secure and not be in the way of anyone. It should nevertheless also be easily accessible to the vehicles that transport the materials off site.  
  Relevant health, safety and fire prevention standards should be considered and implemented.  
  You can use bulk bags as containers to store materials and contain them in a format which often makes more economic transport possible. 
  Talk to Petco about bulk bags for recyclable materials.

Question 38

How to get students to recycle

Accepted Answer

Effective education and communication are highly important factors in the success or failure of waste reduction programmes.  
Introducing meaningful and clever social, environmental and even financial motivation drives are powerful strategies to ensure the longevity of a recycling campaign and to secure maximum buy-in of all stakeholders.

As part of your efforts to minimise waste on the campus, the following is particularly important:

    Clear communication before and immediately after introducing our new recycling programme on campus.
    Continued communication thereafter to ensure that new students and staff are informed and that messages about the importance of recycling and the campus recycling activities are reinforced.
    Work with the communication department on campus in this regard. They control and use the methods of communication with staff and students and are in the best position to assist.

Question 39

What materials can be recycled on campus depending on the volumes collected?

Accepted Answer

Paper and cardboard.  
PET plastic bottles and jars  #1. 
HDPE containers and bottles #2. 
LDPE flexible bottles or squeezy sauce bottles #4. 
PP bottlecaps and yoghurt containers #5. 
Liquid Board Packaging cartons.
Aluminium cans and tins.

Question 40

How should students recycle correctly?

Accepted Answer

Students should: 

  Remove residue from packaging.  
  Flatten items.  
  Put the cap back on. 
  Use designated recycling bins.

Question 41

How does recycling support sustainability goals in universities?

Accepted Answer

Recycling contributes to: 

 Reduced environmental impact.  
 Responsible resource use.  
 Improved waste management systems.

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