Springs new MRF diverts 600T monthly from landfill in Petco-MetPac recycling partnership

SOUTH AFRICA – A new material recovery facility at the Tonkmeter landfill in Springs has opened, with Petco and MetPac-SA investing in infrastructure to divert up to 600 tonnes of recyclable packaging waste monthly from landfill while creating jobs and supporting the circular economy.

The facility, situated on the Tonkmeter private landfill site in Ekurhuleni, serves reclaimers, businesses and industries across the region, with the aim of extracting at least 50 tonnes of combined recyclable packaging including PET plastic, metals and liquid board cartons from the 5,000 tonnes of monthly waste received. 

The launch was attended by main infrastructure sponsor Petco CEO Telly Chauke, Tonkmeter CEO Leon Grobbelaar, MetPac-SA’s Belinda Booker, and Gauteng provincial waste management officer Palesa Mathibeli.

Private Partnership Addresses Gauteng’s Landfill Capacity Crisis

Gauteng provincial waste management officer Palesa Mathibeli stated that the province was facing a waste management crisis because municipal landfills were reaching the end of their lifespan and a number had been closed down due to non-compliance, leading to an increase in illegal dumping. 

She noted that the province was quickly running out of landfill airspace because waste was not being diverted away from landfills, which puts more pressure on facilities like the new MRF. 

Mathibeli expressed appreciation that private partners were taking the initiative to support each other in addressing this crisis. 

Tonkmeter CEO Leon Grobbelaar described the facility as the crown jewel of the integrated waste management site, adding that the industry was very satisfying because of job creation in the Kwa-Thema community and taking waste out of the environment.

Cashless Payment Platform and Integration of Informal Waste Pickers

Petco’s general manager for recycling and collections, Samu Mkhize, stated that the project was a great example of all players pulling together to keep the circular economy working, connecting landfill diversion with recovery infrastructure and integrating industrial, commercial and informal material streams into a single operating model. 

An additional benefit is the cashless payment platform that allows Petco to pay waste pickers a service fee for the PET and liquid board packaging they collect. 

Future plans include accepting materials from independent waste pickers working at the nearby Rietfontein municipal landfill site and bringing them into a centralised system, further formalising the informal sector and improving livelihoods. 

MetPac-SA CEO Kishan Singh stated that the project increases the circular economy and waste recovery in South Africa, aligning with EPR regulations, and that MetPac-SA will continue to support such initiatives in the spirit of saving the planet. 

Petco described this as its largest single infrastructure investment to date, demonstrating commitment to high-value capital infrastructure projects including sorting conveyor systems, balers and forklifts.

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