For the past 17 years, PETCO has been engaging with municipalities towards the shared goal of effective waste management and recycling.<\/p>\n
Key among municipal waste management priorities is the integration of waste pickers into the formal sector.<\/p>\n
The informal collectors operating in the country play an important role in municipal waste collection systems and in diverting waste from landfill.<\/p>\n
Their integration advances government priorities such as job creation, poverty alleviation, environmental protection and economic transformation.<\/p>\n
PETCO\u2019s experience in working with the entire polyethylene terephthalate (PET) value chain makes it eminently qualified to assist municipalities with sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n
In the past year alone, PETCO and partners ensured that 90\u00a0402 tonnes of post-consumer PET, which equates to 2.1 billion bottles, was collected for recycling, saving 560\u00a0495 cubic metres of municipal landfill space.<\/p>\n
A further R1.2 billion was injected into the national economy from the sale of recycled materials.<\/p>\n
Municipalities are, by law, required to develop integrated waste management plans (IWMP) to drive implementation of the National Waste Management Strategy.<\/p>\n
Although legislation requiring producer responsibility organisations (PROs) to co-operate with municipalities came into effect in November 2021, PETCO had been doing so since 2008.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, there are very few municipal separation-at-source collection systems, so we work with municipalities to establish kerbside collection projects and expand PET collection into new areas,\u201d says PETCO collections and training project manager Belinda Booker.<\/p>\n
In addition, PETCO provides skills development training and mentorship for waste pickers registered with participating municipalities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year so far, we have conducted 28 basic training workshops for 1\u00a0357 collectors in eight provinces, and a further three accredited business training workshops,\u201d says Booker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe help them to grow sustainable businesses, and sponsor infrastructure and equipment to unlock collections and improve the quantity and quality of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) collected,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
Msinga Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal, which covers two towns and six traditional authority areas, is one recent example where PETCO is assisting with waste picker integration.<\/p>\n
The municipality has registered 138 street- and landfill-based waste pickers and provided them with a material recovery facility (MRF) within the landfill site to operate and store their recyclable materials.<\/p>\n
The municipality collects 15 tonnes of PET each month and sells it to buy-back centres in Greytown and Pietermaritzburg.<\/p>\n
PETCO recently presented a basic recycling workshop for waste pickers in conjunction with Dannhauser Local Municipality and sponsored an H15 baling machine and 25 bulk storage bags alongside polymer producer Safripol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact of partnerships on the recycling value chain cannot be underestimated, and collaboration is critical to ensuring that change can be implemented at a national scale,\u201d says Booker.<\/p>\n
Plans are currently underway to assist a further 21 pilot projects in the City of Cape Town with equipment, branding and accredited training.<\/p>\n
To collaborate with PETCO, please contact Belinda Booker: belinda.booker@petco.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n