Boxmore-PETCO venture drives recycling in Harrismith

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The five beneficiaries of the trolleys will sell their PET to Vans Buy Back Centre. This arrangement will allow the waste pickers’ progress to be tracked and their need for assistance to be monitored. Those involved in this initiative are committed to helping these individuals reach their full earning potential and stimulating awareness around the importance of recycling.

Commenting on the project, Boxmore Harrismith factory manager, Neil Bresendale, said, “Our company is one of the biggest employers in Harrismith and therefore we are both directly and indirectly partly responsible for the socio-economic wellbeing of the community. In addition, as a leading provider of rigid plastic packaging, it is critical for our business to minimise the environmental impact of post-consumer PET. Therefore, driving recycling through job creation in this community is a win-win scenario that I am proud to be associated with.”

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PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz, added, “We are delighted to be involved in such an important project, as we believe small and micro-collectors play a crucial role in growing recycling tonnages in South Africa. Thanks to their hard work, alongside that of the network of dedicated people and companies we work with, 2 billion PET bottles were collected for recycling across South Africa during the course of 2016, growing the annual recycling rate from 52% of post-consumer bottle PET in 2015 to 55%.”

Boxmore is a founding member of PETCO and, last year, its chief commercial officer, David Drew was appointed to the board of directors. He explained, “Apart from this investment being the right thing to do, our industry cannot ignore the mounting necessity to encourage and educate South Africans about recycling. We are confident that these beneficiaries have all the support to further develop this small business opportunity into something that will both grow in size and income.”

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An additional ten trolleys will be donated across two other communities where Boxmore branches are based.