Petco leads push to boost liquid board packaging recycling in South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA – In a concerted effort to scale up the collection and recycling of liquid board packaging (LBP), Petco, in partnership with member Tetra Pak, is spearheading a series of impactful community activations across South Africa.

Recent initiatives in the Free State and Western Cape are helping drive greater awareness and volumes of LBP collection, contributing to national recycling targets.

In the Free State, a landfill-site activation inspired local waste pickers to prioritise the collection of used LBP cartons.

Petco-supported bulk bags quickly filled up, demonstrating growing interest and reinforcing the commercial value created for LBP through these awareness drives.

A similar activation in Bishop Lavis, Western Cape, saw steady carton flows despite the post-festive season slowdown.

One enthusiastic waste picker even returned the next day with more LBP, earning himself a new mobile phone as a reward — a motivating sign of the programme’s success.

“These activations are key to helping waste collectors recognise LBP as a valuable source of income alongside traditional recyclables,” Petco said.

“They also support our broader goal of building a sustainable recycling value chain in line with extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations.”

Strengthening buy-back infrastructure in Tshwane

In a complementary initiative to support the recycling value chain, Petco has provided vital infrastructure to a buy-back centre in Tshwane East.

Operating from Mooiplaas and processing around 25 tonnes of recyclables per month, the centre plays a key role in PET collection in the region.

To help scale operations, Petco sponsored an H20 baler — an upgraded model that can compact larger volumes of material — and provided 300 bulk bags for storing and transporting recyclables.

Although the centre initially applied for an H15 baler, it opted to invest in the more powerful H20 unit, covering the cost difference to boost operational efficiency.

“With the H20 baler and new bulk bags, the centre’s 68 affiliated waste pickers can now streamline their collection and storage processes, ultimately increasing output and income,” Petco noted.

These initiatives underline Petco’s ongoing commitment to empowering small recycling businesses, improving infrastructure, and supporting community-based collectors across South Africa’s recycling ecosystem.

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