PETCO partners with municipalities to make a difference

FOR the past 17 years, PETCO has been engaging with municipalities towards the shared goal of effective waste management and recycling.

Key among municipal waste management priorities is the integration of waste pickers into the formal sector.

The informal collectors operating in the country play an important role in municipal waste collection systems and in diverting waste from landfill.

Their integration advances government priorities such as job creation, poverty alleviation, environmental protection and economic transformation.

PETCO’s experience in working with the entire polyethylene terephthalate (PET) value chain makes it eminently qualified to assist municipalities with sustainability efforts.

In the past year alone, PETCO and partners ensured that 90 402 tonnes of post-consumer PET, which equates to 2.1 billion bottles, was collected for recycling, saving 560 495 cubic metres of municipal landfill space.

A further R1.2 billion was injected into the national economy from the sale of recycled materials.

Municipalities are, by law,