SOUTH AFRICA – Food processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak South Africa has joined PET Recycling Company (Petco) to drive the collection and recycling of liquid board packaging (LBP).

The firm’s decision has been driven by the need for greater collaboration to improve the collection and recycling of LBP in South Africa. Tetra Pak’s membership starts on January 1.

Petco is noted to have a successful record in supporting recycling value chains in South Africa.

Petco will be administering an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme to cater for the LBP sector from January 1, in addition to the other EPR schemes already being offered by Petco.

As the first member to join Petco’s LBP EPR scheme, Tetra Pak South Africa and Petco are taking the first step with this new partnership, and in time, the expectation is that other LBP converters and brand owners will join this scheme for a greater impact.

By joining forces, both Tetra Pak and Petco commit to improving awareness by increasing educational activities among the South African public on issues related to LBP segregation and collection.

In addition, the scheme will be implementing a model for value chain support to stimulate collection and increase end-use demand for recycled content.

The collaboration intends to maximize the already existing recycling capacity and infrastructure for LBP in the country that has been developed over the year.

Recycling is at the center of a low-carbon circular economy that aims to reduce waste and keep materials in use for longer.

LBP can be recycled and transformed into a wide range of new products. However, segregation at source, collection and sorting are emphasized as critical for recycling to work.

Tetra Pak believes EPR regulations are essential and in line with the company’s ambitions of improving the recycling value chain for LBP.

This collaboration follows a report in which Petco revealed that sustainability partnerships have contributed to improved waste collection and PET recycling rates, creating income opportunities and developing South Africa’s circular economy.

The organization and its partners, in the past year, ensured that 90,402 tonnes of post-consumer PET, or 2.1 billion bottles, were collected for recycling.

Petco says more than 40 local, district and provincial municipalities have benefitted from strategic sustainability partnerships in 2021/22, including the Zonda Insila Program (ZIP), which was launched in Breyton, Mpumalanga, in 2019.

This new partnership follows Tetra Pak’s recent US$2.5 million contract with Uniboard Egypt for the establishment of a cardboard recycling unit for used beverage cartons (UBC).

The investment will be used to build a facility able to recycle 8,000 tonnes of UBC per year and should be operational in 2023.

According to details relayed by local media Zawya, the plant should also be able to operate at full capacity for the next five years after launch.

The project, which is part of Tetra Pak’s sustainability program, will enable Uniboard to consolidate its market share in the cardboard segment in Egypt as well as in the international market.

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