Every day, across our country, waste pickers walk kilometres collecting recyclable material to earn a living, and in doing so, they divert thousands of tonnes from landfill. Today, on Global Recycling Day, the PRO Alliance celebrates the successful completion of Phase 1 of its BBC200 Programme, which aims to integrate waste pickers into the formal recycling value chain and to drive recycling through buy-back centres (BBCs) in key regions.

Launched in 2025, the first phase of the programme laid the foundation for an ambitious national scale-up in Phase 2, moving the sector beyond an informal approach toward a governed, technology-enabled system capable of supporting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance at scale.

By December 2025, 51 BBCs had been successfully upgraded and onboarded onto the digital platform, exceeding the first-phase target. Some 12,750 waste pickers had been registered, with 10,113 actively receiving waste picker service fee (WPSF) payments.

Bhavesh Patel, Executive Director of the PRO Alliance said,

“Global Recycling Day is an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how far we intend to go. The successful completion of Phase 1 is a milestone we’re proud of, but the scale-up to over 200 buy-back centres is where our focus now lies. This programme is about more than recycling – it’s about formalising livelihoods and building a recycling economy that works for everyone.”

The programme goes beyond just the payment of service fees to waste pickers. It incorporates registration and verification of waste pickers as well as the provision of training and social services. It also supports formalisation and growth of the BBC network, small business development and job creation, increased substrate volume collection, and the capturing of data that is critical to building a circular economy in South Africa.

In addition, it aims to improve industry engagement through collaboration, including key stakeholders such as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and municipalities, waste picker organisations as well as brand owners and retailers.

Phase 1 delivered significant infrastructure development across participating BBCs, including hardware upgrades, system standardisation, staff training, and card-based payment infrastructure. A live national database, the South African Waste Picker Registration System (SAWPRS) was established to capture waste picker information, BBC participation, substrate-level data, and tonnages, providing traceability and visibility not previously available in the sector. A key technical milestone was the API integration between the Lariat system and), enabling automatic reflection of registered waste pickers on the national database.

“Phase 1 generated measurable operational, compliance, and reputational outcomes, and the lessons learned have materially strengthened readiness for Phase 2 expansion in 2026,” explained Patel.

“It’s encouraging to see the progress being made, but meaningful change will take time, effort and genuine collaboration across the full recycling ecosystem. Through the PRO Alliance, our member organisations are already working to address waste picker integration and strengthen the recycling system. However, many other businesses and stakeholders across the many waste value chains benefit from the critical role that waste pickers play in South Africa’s recycling economy. We strongly encourage these broader participants across industry and other sectors to actively engage and contribute to initiatives that support the inclusion and integration of waste pickers.”

This year, the BBC200 programme is targeting expansion to over 200 buy-back centres, determinedly driving waste picker integration. Beyond physical installation and onboarding, 2026 will place significant emphasis on integration, education, and upliftment. Supplementary programmes will run alongside the core BBC expansion, designed to deepen the impact of the programme at a human level. For waste pickers, this means building financial literacy and confidence in cashless systems, embedding health and safety awareness, and educating participants on EPR – including their rights, responsibilities, and the importance of material quality.

“The broader vision is to support waste pickers in seeing themselves as active participants within the recycling economy, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to collect new product streams and grow their own livelihoods,” concluded Patel.