South Africa's PET Bottle Recycling Rate Climbs to Record High in 2017

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest trade statistics published by PETCO- the South African PET Recycling Company indicates significant jump in PET recycling rate during the previous year. The PET recycling rates touched new highs in 2017, even in the midst of declining PET market conditions, the report said.

According to PETCO, the South African plastic industry recycled a record of 2.15 billion PET plastic bottles in 2017. The recycling rate for PET bottles stood at 65%, exceeding the industry target of 58% for the year. The recycling rate also put the country on par with international standards. PET bottles resulted in creation of over 64,000 income-generating job opportunities and saving of 578,000 cubic metres of landfill space. The recycling has also led to approximately 139,000 tonnes in carbon savings, noted PETCO.

A total of 93,235 tonnes of PET bottles were collected in 2017. This is marginally higher by 3% when compared with the year before. The PET collection had totaled 90,749 tonnes in 2016. The rise, though marginal, is significant, especially while considering the political and economic instability in the country, volatile currency rates and prolonged industrial action which had affected production considerably.

The acute water shortages in the Western Cape had led to huge rise in demand for bottled water, during the second half of 2017, PETCO report said. This contributed to increased PET bottle collection in the region.

Cheri Scholtz , chief executive officer, PETCO stated that the recentlty released figures demonstrate the industry’s ongoing commitment to recycling and PET’s economic value in the circular economy. He appreciated the efforts of the entire network of people, companies and organizations for collecting 5.9 million PET bottles for recycling across the country. Since its inception in 2017, PETCO has recycled a total of 609,306 tonnes of PET plastic bottles, Scholtz added.