
27 Jun 18 How recycling became a South African money-spinner
SA has yet to unlock the full economic potential of recycling, say experts in the industry. But already many thousands of hard-working collectors and middlemen are earning a living in this way — a fact that has been lost on many in a country that posted a 26.7% unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2018.
So says Maxwell Ndlovu, owner of Okuhle Waste Management, who has been in the business for 15 years.
“When you go out and collect these 2l bottles, you will not go to bed hungry. If there’s one thing I know it’s that people must just recycle, and in return they will get money. But most of the time they are not aware of that.”
Around 37,000 people rely on recyclables for their daily bread, according to the Paper Recycling Association of SA (Prasa).
Last year the PET Plastic Recycling Company (Petco) recorded an approximate value of R430m paid to collectors by contracted recyclers.
“Informal waste collectors can often be seen as a nuisance, especially when hauling overloaded trolleys along busy roads; but these people are making a living by recovering recyclables and selling them to buy-back centres,” says Prasa operations director, Ursula Henneberry.
Poor awareness appears not only to have robbed South Africans of opportunities to generate income, but also of a source of national pride.
Last year South Africans recycled 65% of the PET plastic bottles in circulation in the country. This recycling rate is on a par with international standards, says Petco.
In August last year Prasa found that SA’s paper recycling rate had increased to 68.4%, growing by 2% year-on-year since 2012.
Despite all this activity in the sector, many South Africans remain in the dark, and few recycle in their homes.