2018 PETCO Awards open for nominations

The awards recognise leadership and future-thinking across the PET industry and beyond in addressing recycling, reuse and waste minimisation. Winners are recognised by their peers for contributing to advancing PET recycling and reflecting the principles of Extended Producer Responsibility, the circular economy, SMME development, and the advancement of women in their practices.

The deadline for submission of nominations is before 5pm, Friday, 2 February. Nominations must be motivated comprehensively.

Nomination process:

• Submit the following to az.oc.octep@swenoctep:
• Completed nomination form (download the nomination form here: Word or PDF);
• Supporting documentation (no more than five pages).

The 2018 categories are:

1. Public Campaign of the Year

About the award: This category recognises a public-facing campaign that has successfully addressed a challenge around e.g. waste and the waste hierarchy, reducing reliance on landfill, increasing PET recycling, boosting reuse, or reducing waste-generating behaviour, amongst South African consumers specifically.

Who should enter: Any private, corporate or government organisation within the South African waste or recycling sectors that can demonstrate the successful implementation of a public-facing campaign to reduce waste-generating behaviour.

2. Recycled Product of the Year

About the award: This category recognises a product that exemplifies the best of sustainability. It will have been designed with careful consideration of resources and should incorporate a minimum of 10% recycled PET (rPET) content. Factors such as reusability, end of life, waste minimisation, closed loop processes etc. will be taken into consideration.

Who should enter: Brand owners, manufacturers, converters and product designers that display high levels of innovation and expertise in addressing the technical and manufacturing challenges associated with increasing the percentage of recycled PET resin included in the products that they design and/or manufacture.

3. PET-repreneur

About the award: This category recognises a male OR a female individual whose entrepreneurial insight, ingenuity and perseverance has created and sustained a successful, growing business venture in the PET collection or recycling industry.

Who should enter: Owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, focused on recycling of PET and other waste streams, that have shown innovation and best practice in their approaches to drive recycling and waste minimisation behaviour in their business as well as in their communities.

4. Local Authority Recycling Innovation

About the award: This category recognises the importance of partnerships with municipalities and local authorities in addressing waste reduction behaviour in South Africa. Critically, as South Africa is running out of landfill space, strong partnerships with municipalities are required to decrease current illegal dumping behaviour and increase constituents’ access to recycling infrastructure.

Who should enter: Any local authority in South Africa that have used creative and innovative methods to drive up their recycling, reuse and waste prevention performance.

5. Recycling Partnership Gamechanger

About the award: This category recognises partnerships, including government (municipal, provincial or national), regulatory agencies, community organisations and private industry, that have successfully implemented game-changing initiatives, policies or programs that advance recycling and sustainability in South Africa. Examples include, but are not limited to, increased recycling participation, targeted recycling or reuse awareness campaigns, or repurposing closed landfills. Motivations must include tangible examples of how the partnership has resulted in a meaningful recycling outcomes or breakthroughs.

Who should enter: Combinations of waste management companies, recyclers, industry, businesses or compliance schemes. The entry must include at least two organisations, from different sectors.

6. Recycling Innovator of the Year

About the award: This category recognises the recycling facility that leads all other facilities in one or more key measurements, such as innovation, volumes of PET collected and/or processed, site improvements, or sustainability measures adopted. Nominations must include metrics to affirm that their facility is the leading recycling facility in the country.

Who should enter: All recycling facilities in South Africa, new or existing.

7. Top Woman in Recycling

About the award: This category recognises the importance of women in leadership, specifically within the recycling sector in South Africa, and aims to grow the number of female role models in the sector for future leaders.

Who should enter: Females in the South African recycling sector that have demonstrated admirable leadership, business acumen and strategic foresight in growing South Africa’s economy through recycling and driving recycling efforts in South Africa.

8. Recycling & Waste Reduction Warrior

About the award: PETCO’s vision is that capacitated, empowered consumers know about PET and know that it is recyclable and safe to use; they understand the potential and value of PET and recycled PET (rPET); they use their influence and buying power to drive positive recycling behaviour through demanding products containing recycled content. This category recognises passionate individuals that work tirelessly to help us achieve this vision in South Africa.

Who should enter: Any individuals who have tirelessly worked to drive recycling behaviour in South Africa, through various interventions such as clean-ups (beach or inland), lobbying, training and education programmes around PET recycling and milestones, etc.

9. Best Digital Technology supporting Recycling

About the award: Consumers are generally willing to recycle, but only when it is made easy for them to do so. This category recognises the contribution of mobile phone or web-based technologies in facilitating and driving recycling behaviour amongst South Africa consumers.

Who should enter: Creators of mobile phone or web-based applications that either drive recycling or support the recycling of PET and other waste streams in South Africa.

10. Media Spotlight

About the award: This category recognises a journalist or media personality that has made an outstanding contribution to the awareness and understanding amongst South African consumers of issues pertaining to waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Who should enter: Journalists or media personalities that are actively driving media attention for recycling and general sustainability issues.