Petco released its annual results for the collection and recycling of post-consumer packaging. The results indicate that it has met the legislated targets for 99% of the tonnage of identified products placed on the market by its members in 2024.
Petco’s efforts saved 76,000m³ of South Africa’s scarce landfill space in 2024. Image supplied.
The organisation’s 29 members – which include major brands such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Tiger Brands, and Tetra Pak – represent most of the PET plastic beverage bottles and liquid board packaging (LBP) placed onto the South African market.
According to the newly released audited data, Petco’s efforts saved 76,000m³ of South Africa’s landfill space – the recyclable packaging thus diverted would fill 2,324 standard, six-metre shipping containers.
Petco CEO Telly Chauke said the organisation was pleased to have met the targets set by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment for the identified products registered with the organisation.
“We’re particularly delighted with the success of our new EPR scheme for liquid board packaging, which saw us achieve a more than 200% increase in its collection and recycling rate last year.
“In only our second year of administering a scheme for these cartons, we’ve collected and recycled three times the volume compared to 2023.”
Chauke said the significant leap in LBP collection and recycling rates was a validation of Petco’s operating model, which is based on building sustainable value chains for the post-consumer packaging for which the organisation administers schemes.
PET bottles and jars
Following the implementation of mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation three years ago, Petco had also met the annual collection targets for PET bottles and jars, and their associated closures and labels, and increased these rates year on year, she said.
“Our model, which is informed by 20 years’ experience as an industry body, has seen us grow the collection for recycling of post-consumer PET bottles and jars from 16% of those placed on market in 2005 to nearly 76% of what our members place on the market today.
“With over 70% of our members’ PET bottles and jars now successfully recycled, our goal is to achieve similar results for LBP in the long term.”
Since 2023, when Petco introduced an EPR scheme for LBP, strategic industry-driven infrastructure investments have seen LBP collection and recycling rates triple from 8% each to 24% and 26% respectively.
Enhancing collection and recycling
A key focus for 2024, Chauke said, was partnering with member Tetra Pak in the deployment of a team of buy-back centre liaison officers and regional recycling officers to enhance the collection and recycling of LBP nationwide.
Serving as contact points to strengthen linkages between buy-back centres, waste pickers, municipal authorities and industry stakeholders, the team’s role is to address regional collection challenges and foster local solutions.
“Petco's distinct value offering to members is having a team on the ground dedicated to ensuring the flow of materials to our recyclers,” she said.
Aside from their daily operations, Chauke said the team conducted over 200 on-site activations last year at buy-back centres in all provinces, where they met with waste pickers and business owners to demonstrate the value of collecting LBP.
Partnership-based approach
As a composite material, LBP’s recycled material output comprises 75% paperboard, and 25% poly-aluminium, the latter of which can be turned into end-uses such as school desks, and low-cost building materials.
Chauke said Petco’s partnership-based approach involved a delicate balance of working to unlock the feedstock for these recyclers by providing support for collection on the ground, growing end-use demand for the recycled materials, and encouraging the development of recycling capacity.
In 2024, Petco spent R70m on financial support for the value chain, which enabled its contracted recycling partners to purchase approximately R470m in post-consumer packaging materials from small businesses. This creates monetary value in collecting materials, enabling the money to flow down the value chain to waste pickers.
“We recognise that SMMEs form an integral part of the value chain and are the gateway to unlocking greater tonnages of better quality, post-consumer recyclable packaging.
“So, we provide support, often in partnership with municipalities or corporate entities, offering equipment, mentorship and training to capacitate these businesses to grow.
“Whilst unlocking collections, the work we do in supporting SMMEs also begins to unlock economic advantages for the economically marginalised.”
Recycling awareness
In 2024, Petco trained over 4,700 beneficiaries at recycling awareness workshops and accredited business training sessions countrywide and provided equipment support to 47 SMMEs. The PRO also partnered with 59 municipalities from district to local level to support their waste management efforts.
“Working with the government is a key aspect of the Petco model because it helps to scale and maintain sustainable initiatives. By providing support for separation-at-source projects and infrastructure development, we assist municipalities to discharge their duty, so that our producers can meet their obligations and investment can thrive,” Chauke said.
“Ultimately, growth is Petco’s driving force – growing our footprint, our technical abilities and capacity to grow South Africa’s circular economy, while keeping valuable recyclable packaging out of the environment and landfills.”
