Q. What is Collect-a-Can’s core business function?

A.Collect-a-Can was established in 1993 by shareholders ArcelorMittal South Africa (tinplate producer) and Nampak BevCan (steel beverage can manufacturer). The main aim is to recover, recycle and reuse metal cans from the environment, as a litter abatement and environmental responsibility project.

Q.Collect-a-Can has a very impressive schools programme and competition running? Can you briefly explain this initiative?

A.Collect-a-Can’s philosophy is that the culture of Responsible Waste Management through recycling needs to be inculcated from a young age for it to become normal behaviour in South Africa. One of the vehicles is through the school’s competitions that we currently run in four provinces, that is, Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the NorthWest.

The National Schools Competition: This is our flagship competition; it operates in six Collect-a-Can branches within South Africa. Schools can raise funds for themselves by collecting used cans and stand a chance to win monthly and annual prizes, while creating environmental awareness and cleaning their community. The school that collects most cans per child and per school wins a prize.

Can Craze Competition: An exciting competition that encourages pupils to create structures or characters using beverage cans. Through this exciting team exercise, learners are required to collect at least 300 cans and use them to build a structure. The most creative and well thought structure wins.

Artistic Competition: This year we’ve introduced this competition to tertiary institutions, where students can design our logo and create the new campaign line.

Q.Consumers aside, what is Collect-a-Can doing at industry level to promote recycling and reduction to landfills? Has the New Waste Act helped to increase recycling statistics?

A.A part from recovering cans, Collect-a-Can places significant emphasis on environmental education, and regularly participates in clean-up campaigns and recycling drives where we provide the infrastructure for the clean-up, such as bags, T-shirts and transport. Collect-a-Can actively works with communities, encouraging citizens to assist in our can-collecting efforts.

Q.What services do you offer those interested in becoming entrepreneurs in recycling?

A.Collect-a-Can assists upcoming entrepreneurs by providing them with advice on how to increase their productivity and profitability. In addition, they are assisted with infrastructure like bags for collection, arrangement of transport weighing scales and the use of mobile balers. For collectors that are located far away from Collect-a-Can depot, the cost of transporting their cans to a collection point can be prohibitive. For this reason, Collect-a-Can encourages scrap metal dealers, multi-recycling companies and any other businesses or individuals that are willing and have the infrastructure to assist by becoming collection agents. The agents help their community while benefiting from being part of the Collect-a-Can network.

Q.Overall, what are your top three biggest achievements?

A.The overall perception in corporate South Africa is that the Collect-a-Can schools recycling programme is the most organised to date in South Africa. The Guinness World Record – we’ve been breaking the record consistently for the past nine years; and have a 72% recovery rate increase this year compared to 70% recovery rate for 2011.