Circular Economy & Waste Management Company news South Africa

Managing plastic waste

The benefits of plastic are well documented in terms of lightness, strength, durability, formability, and its use in sterile and hygienic environments. Plastic is very important in enabling the sustainability of many products. Plastic is found in many everyday products and can be reused and recycled multiple times.

Unfortunately many people and industries do not manage their plastic waste correctly, which has a negative impact on the environment. That is why KAP and Safripol are invested in driving programmes that help eradicate/correct bad behaviours and assist partners in removing plastic waste from the environment.

Managing plastic waste

Working with communities and various organisations we participate in beach clean-ups and have installed litter booms on some of the major rivers to remove waste from the environment. Plastic waste has value as much of it can be recycled so Safripol provides funding to various organisations, like PETCO and Polyco to collect the waste for recycling and re-purposing. Safripol supports various initiatives to recycle the waste into alternative products and have funded various small businesses, such as the Bophelo recycling project and the KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre (KMBC), which creates employment, removes the waste from the environment and in the case of the KMBC, coverts that waste into products such as pavers, school desks and modified wheels for wheelie bins.

As part of this regenerative journey, Safripol have also invested in R&D to develop products that are more easily recyclable. Together with a major soft drinks company, they developed a returnable PET bottle that can be used multiple times before being recycled either into another bottle, or into an alternative product.

Safripol are leading the war on waste. At their annual sustainability conference they together with industry, waste associations, recyclers, industry associations, retailers, brand owners and environmentalists participate to develop sustainable solutions. They are bringing all the partners on board to plastic responsibly (#letsplasticreponsibly).

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