The push to use recycled plastic as a raw material in manufacturing is essential to keeping recycling going, Oliver Bonstein, general manager of South African Plastics Recycling Organisation (SAPRO), says, “Without end-markets for recycled plastic to go into, there is no point in recycling.”

To spotlight and promote recycled plastic as a viable material for manufacturing, innovation, and circularity, SAPRO hosts the annual Plastic Recycling Awards. The gala dinner and award ceremony celebrated the people in plastic recycling and their hard work to bring positive change through recycled plastic products. The awards hosted 195 industry and media stakeholders and saw 31 entries across 7 categories.

Bonstein adds, “This initiative was supported by organisations invested in the success of plastic recycling to keep our country tidy: Polyco, Ewasa, Zerma Africa, Starlinger, EcoSmart and Petco.”

Winners by Category are as follows:

Creative and Artistic Items

• Bronze: Re.Play Footstool – Re.Bag. Re.Use
• Silver: Ocean Plastic Art: Resilience Coming-Back by Janet Ormond
• Gold: Sculptures of Mandela and a colourful face by Marco Olivier & Atlantic Plastics

Innovation in recycled plastic products

• Silver: Hexa-Flow by Rayhaan Nakwa & University of Johannesburg
• Gold: MoFify home water filtration solutions by Paula Maseko & Rhodes University

PCR (recycled content) Demand Champions

• Finalist: Cable Trench Protective Tile by Infinite Industries
• Bronze: Prestige Picket Fencing by Tufflex Plastic Solutions
• Silver: rPET Preform by ALPLA Recycling & ALPLA Packaging SA
• Gold: Shoprite 60 Litre Carrier Bag by Premier Plastics, Shoprite Checkers and Polyethylene Recoveries

Agriculture and related products

• Silver: GrowRaft by Smart Food Growing (SFG) Technologies
• Gold: Boundary Box by Plasco Consulting

Construction & Building Sector

• Finalist: Pipe Fittings by MAK Plastics & Aleid Plastics
• Finalist: Skirting and Wall Panels by Supreme Mouldings
• Bronze: Igloo by Pioneer Plastics & Fenix Rising
• Silver: Prestige Picket Fencing by Tufflex Plastic Solutions
• Gold: Bio-Separator & Soak-Away Dome by Buffalo Tanks & Fenix Rising

Household & leisure products

• Silver: Recycled Moonbag by Sealand Gear
• Gold: Eco-Furniture by Infinite Industries

Packaging Category

• Finalist: Kitchen brand honey bottle by Bowler Packaging, Shoprite Checkers & Extrupet
• Finalist: 2L Foam bath bottle by Bowler Packaging, Shoprite Checkers & Extrupet
• Finalist: Comfort 800ml ribbed bottle by Alpla Packaging SA, Unilever SA, Extrupet
• Finalist: Urban Sleeves packaging by Leathercraft Winklmayr, Inno Textiles & Extrupet
• Bronze: rPET Preforms by ALPLA Recycling & ALPLA Packaging SA
• Silver: Plush rPP Lid by Plastic Bubbles, The Adock Ingram Consumer Division & Myplas
• Gold: Vaseline body lotion bottle by ALPLA PackagingSA, Unilever SA & Extrupet

Overall Winner

Vaseline body lotion bottle by ALPLA PackagingSA, Unilever SA & Extrupet

The Vaseline bottle is a 3 layered construction with rHDPE in the middle layer, this was seen as a leader in getting recycled material into personal care products which is a key growth sector for recycled material inclusion.