"Nampak Bevcan does not buy can pull rings," says Alexandra Bouwer, marketing manager for Nampak Bevcan's CAN DO! brand. "We encourage people to get involved with our recycling company, Collect-a-Can's Cash for Cans initiative."
Nampak and ArcelorMittal South Africa established Collect-a-Can 20 years ago to pro-actively address the steel beverage can industry's share of responsibility pertaining to the environmental needs of the region.
The Cash for Cans initiative encourages aspiring collectors to collect whole cans and sell these cans to Collect-a-Can for recycling.
"Collect-a-Can also does not buy pull rings separately," adds Zimasa Velaphi, public relations and marketing manager of Collect-a-Can. "We do however buy whole cans for recycling."
"The cash paid for cans is determined based on the quality and weight of the collection, so to earn some extra money, it would be more valuable to collect whole cans as they will weigh more than the pull-rings would," says Bouwer.
All types of empty cans can be recovered and sold to Collect-a-Can for cash, including beverage, aerosol, food, oil and paint cans.
Collect-a-Can will provide bins and collection bags and can even be approached to collect the cans at individuals or businesses premises.
The rate paid varies according to the fluctuating metal prices and depends on the quality of the used metal cans, whether beverage and food cans are mixed or sorted separately at source, and whether or not they are baled.
"The Cash for Cans initiative has safeguarded the livelihood of thousands of South Africans over the years, by creating an opportunity for informal collectors to earn a living or supplement their low income," says Velaphi.
For more information, go to www.nampak.com.
