How to turn trash into cash
IN JUST four weeks, Langa locals have diverted 19.6 tonnes of recyclable waste away from landfill and, in exchange, received over R14,000 by using the Packa-Ching mobile buy-back service in the area.
Spearheaded by Polyco and funded by its members, the PackaChing project is being piloted in Langa, Cape Town and Kya Sands, Johannesburg. Its goal: to divert at least 750 tonnes of packaging waste from landfills in one year by increasing recycling within selected informal settlements and lower-income areas around Cape Town and Johannesburg. At the same time, the initiative aims to uplift the lives of residents by providing an income earning opportunity.
Mandy Naudé, Chief Executive Officer at Polyco says: “The large majority of the public are uneducated on the topic of recycling and are totally unaware of the opportunities it presents.
“Much of the waste that we see lying around is packaging material from household products, most of which is recyclable. Packa-Ching encourages everyday South Africans to recycle to improve their lives, their community and the environment.”
Brooke Kühne, Packa-Ching Project Co-ordinator, explains: “The Packa-Ching recycling trailer visits designated areas on specific days of the week to collect recyclable plastic, paper, cans and glass that has been collected and separated by community members. Every kilogram of these materials is purchased from Packa-Ching by our collection partner, WastePlan, who determines a quarterly market price for each material type.
When a transaction takes place at the Packa-Ching trailer, the money for the individual’s material is immediately loaded onto their Kilorands CardTM (essentially a special “gift card”), which can be used at any MasterCard accepting outlet.
By incentivising and encouraging individuals to recycle through realising the value in waste, we aim to positively change behaviour and shift the way people perceive recyclable packaging.”
Naudé shares: “We are seeing first-hand how the project is changing the community’s perceptions of recycling and positively impacting their lives. It is so encouraging to see individuals who have purchased items using their Kilorands CardTM. We urge all South Africans to take inspiration from those in the communities where the Packa-Ching project operates and be part of the change by recycling too.”
For more information on how to recycle, visit www.polyco.co.za and to find out more about Packa-Ching or learn how you can be involved, visit www.packaching.co.za.