/ 14 August 2006

What goes around, comes around

South Africa is not too shabby in the recycling stakes, ranking as one of the top recycling countries in the world.

The paper recovery rate is 45% of total paper produced. “For a developing country, that is pretty good. South Africa is also a large [country],” says John Hunt of the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa. Europe has a recovery rate of 54,6% and the United States 50%.

Hunt says the recovery rate is particularly impressive when South Africa’s relatively large size is considered.

Paper is classified into four grades when it is recovered: office paper, cardboard boxes, newsprint and mixed, which is a mix of all grades of paper.

Office paper is in high demand because it is used in tissue-paper manufacturing. “Office paper has a low recovery rate because it is in offices and homes,” says Hunt. This is the worst-performing area for paper recovery.

Newsprint recovery is also low for the same reason.

Cardboard boxes have a successful recovery rate of about 80% of total domestic production. In the manufacturing of boxes, off-cuts and trimmings are included in batches to be recycled.

South Africa has grappled with plastic, especially plastic bags, littering the environment. But the domestic recovery rate is comparably high to other countries. “South Africa recovers and recycles overall about 14% of all its plastics produced,” says Meli Bleki, environmental officer for the Plastics Federation of South Africa. “[This] rate is five times better than the recovery rates in the world.”

Initiatives, such as Buyisa e Bag and Enviromark, have been implemented to maximise the recovery of plastics. “Buyisa e Bag is a Section 21 company that was established by the government to encourage people to recycle plastics,” says Bleki.

In the can industry, Collect-a-Can, a joint venture between Mittal Steel SA and Nampak, is the equivalent initiative. Collect-a-Can has a recovery rate of 67%. “In 1993, it was less than 18%,” says Hennie Groenewald of Collect- a-Can.

The company buys back any used cans returned by collectors, which are subsequently recycled. Buy-back centres, such as those run by Collect-a-Can, facilitate the recovery process by offering an incentive to collectors.

The glass industry has recently established an organisation with a similar framework. The Glass Recycling Company began operating in July. It is a joint venture between glass manufacturers Consol Glass and Nampak Glass. “There was no industry incentive before,” says general manager Shabeer Jhetam.

“The industry has made a commitment to recycling glass by investing R40-million into processing plants.” These plants have the technology to process glass without having to separate the different colours.

South Africa’s glass recovery rate is 21% at present. But The Glass Recycling Company aims to increase this to more than 50% within the next five years.

“We have a memo of understanding with the government to increase glass recycling,” says Jhetam.

The United Kingdom’s rate is 45% and Australia’s 50%. More comparable to South Africa, Brazil’s glass recovery rate is 40%. Jhetam is confident that South Africa will be among the top glass recyclers in the world.