South Africa’s recycling initiatives under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation are proving positive. PETCO, a producer responsibility organisation (PRO), published its annual review stating that they have met the legislated targets for 99% of the tonnage of identified products placed on the market by its members in 2024.

Petco, representing 29 major brands including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Tiger Brands, and Tetra Pak, reported strong progress in its recycling initiatives, saving 76,000 cubic metres of landfill space in South Africa – equivalent to filling 2,324 six-metre shipping containers.

CEO Telly Chauke announced that Petco met all government-set targets for its extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, especially celebrating the success of its relatively new liquid board packaging (LBP) programme.

“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,” Chauke said. “In only our second year, we’ve collected and recycled three times the volume compared to 2023.”

The growth in LBP recycling, now at 24% and 26% for collection and recycling, respectively – up from just 8% – is credited to strategic investments in infrastructure and a model that builds sustainable value chains. This mirrors the success of PET bottle recycling, which has climbed from 16% in 2005 to nearly 76% today.

A 2024 focus is Petco’s partnership with Tetra Pak to deploy buy-back centre liaison and regional recycling officers to improve LBP recovery nationwide. These officers strengthen ties between waste pickers, municipalities, and recyclers to tackle regional collection challenges.

“Petco’s distinct value offering to members is having a team on the ground dedicated to ensuring the flow of materials to our recyclers,” Chauke added. Last year, this team conducted over 200 activations at buy-back centres across all provinces.

LBP, which consists of 75% paperboard and 25% poly-aluminium, is being repurposed into products like school desks and low-cost building materials. Petco’s approach includes supporting recyclers with feedstock, stimulating end-use demand, and growing processing capacity.

In 2024, Petco invested R70 million into the value chain, enabling recyclers to buy R470 million worth of packaging from small businesses. “We recognise that SMMEs are key to unlocking higher volumes of quality recyclables,” Chauke said. “Our support equipment, mentorship, and training also help unlock economic value for the marginalised.”

Petco trained over 4,700 people through awareness workshops and accredited business training, and equipped 47 SMMEs. It also partnered with 59 municipalities to strengthen local waste systems.

“Working with government is a key aspect of the Petco model,” Chauke noted. “It helps scale and sustain initiatives, allowing producers to meet obligations and municipalities to improve infrastructure.”

“Ultimately, growth is Petco’s driving force – expanding our reach and capacity to strengthen South Africa’s circular economy while keeping valuable packaging out of the environment.”