The packaging we look after
Schemes offered by Petco
How we are working towards a circular economy for the packaging we look after
Petco has been leading the way in producer responsibility since 2005, long before legislation made it mandatory for producers to take responsibility for their packaging waste.
We started by helping create the end-use market for PET plastic bottles, capacitating and stimulating their collection and recycling, and ultimately closing the loop, facilitating bottle-to-bottle recycling. We’ve since taken responsibility for the entire bottle, including their caps and labels. We’ve also established an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for liquid board packaging (LBP), also known as Tetra Pak® – the polyethylene- and aluminium-lined cartons in which fruit juice, milk and custard are sold.
We assist our members with their responsibility for a growing number of materials, guiding product design, supporting the growth of the collection and recycling industry, stimulating end-use markets, and arming consumers with information to help them collect recyclables. We’re driving industry-leading solutions that move us all towards a circular economy in our country.
Identified products for which we administer EPR schemes
Fees for the identified products for which Petco administers schemes:
Identified products | DFFE category of identified products | 2023 EPR fee (total cost/tonne) |
|---|---|---|
PET beverage bottles | PET beverage bottles | R728 |
PET bottles – home and personal care | Single use products – PET | R728 |
PET bottles – edible oil | Plastic PET oil bottles | R728 |
PET bottles and jars – food | Single use products – PET | R728 |
Thermoform PET | Plastic PET thermoformed | R789 |
PET shrink sleeves | PET flexibles | R1160 |
PET strapping (closed loop) | PET flexibles | R350 |
BOPP labels | Polyolefin flexibles | R790 |
HDPE and PP closures | Polyolefin rigids | R790 |
Liquid board packaging | Liquid board packaging | R478 |
According to Section 18 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA), the Extended Producer Responsibility fee must be based on nett cost recovery.
This includes a differentiated rate per category of product or class of product, and depends on the following:
- Weight of product
- Ease of recyclability
- Current demand for the material for recycling purposes
- Costs of establishing a collection system for the identified product
- Collection, transport, storage and treatment costs for separately collected waste
- Administrative costs
- Costs for public communication (raising awareness of waste prevention, litter reduction, separate collection, and other important issues)
- Costs for the appropriate surveillance of the system (including auditing)
- And the deduction of revenues generated from recycled material sales.
Join Petco
We take Extended Producer Responsibility on behalf of our members on a collective basis, helping them to meet legislated and corporate targets. We go beyond policy, creating real value and leading the way to a circular economy.