Early success for mandatory EPR schemes in South Africa

A new mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme in South Africa for liquid board packaging (LBP) has seen collection and recycling rates more than double in the past year.

Following the implementation of EPR legislation three years ago, the producer responsibility organisation Petco has also met the annual collection targets for PET bottles and jars, and their associated closures and labels.

Petco ceo Telly Chauke says: ‘We’re particularly delighted with the success of our new EPR scheme for LBP, which saw us achieve a more than 200% increase in its collection and recycling rate last year.

‘In only our second year of administering a scheme for these cartons, we’ve collected and recycled three times the volume compared to 2023.’

Value chain support

Chauke said the this was a validation of Petco’s operating model, which is based on building sustainable value chains for the post-consumer packaging schemes it administers. Its 29 membersinclude Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Tiger Brands and Tetra Pak.

The collection of post-consumer PET bottles and jars has grown from 16% of those placed on market in 2005 to nearly 76% of products its members place on the market today.

‘With over 70% of our members’ PET bottles and jars now successfully recycled, our goal is to achieve similar results for LBP in the long-term,’ she says.

Specialist teams

One initiative in 2024 was working with Tetra Pak in the deployment of a team of specialist staff to enhance the collection and recycling of LBP nationwide. The officers are contact points to strengthen linkages between buy-back centres, waste pickers, municipal authorities and industry stakeholders.

In 2024, Petco spent R70 million (EUR 3.4 million) supporting the value chain, enabling its recycling partners to purchase approximately R470 million in post-consumer packaging materials from small businesses. SMMEs are seen at a gateway to recovering greater tonnages of better quality, post-consumer recyclable packaging.

‘Whilst unlocking collections, the work we do in supporting SMMEs also begins to unlock economic advantages for the economically marginalised, thus contributing to government’s goal of socio-economic development,’ Chauke insists.