This column is in response to the Collect-a-Can article published in the Mail & Guardian on February 8.
As managing director of Collect-a-Can, I would like to provide clarification, facts and a balanced view. Collect-a-Can is the longest existing and most successful one-way packaging recycling company. For the past 15 years we have been the most vocal driver of recycling in Southern Africa and the successes we have achieved are well recorded.
I found the issues raised in the article misleading. Without dwelling on the details that are in the public domain, I would like to indicate that the recovery rate is an estimate and we are very proud to have facilitated such a high figure. This figure is estimated using a methodology that was approved by the International Iron and Steel Institute. The fact that other people are involved means that the mission of a cleaner environment is achieved.
With regards to the price issue, metal scrap is priced at different levels depending on the quality. Tin plate scrap is of low quality with steel cans the lowest because they contain aluminium and tin, which are not suitable for high-quality steel-making. De-tinned tinplate is used locally, some of it at ArcelorMittal.
With regards to our finances, Collect-a-Can is supported by ArcelorMittal and Nampak and receives funds from them as and when required. We remain a non-profit organisation. A large portion of our advertising budget is spent on the recruitment of collectors and to motivate them to recover cans and sell them to ourselves or other recyclers, as well as to make the public aware.
We are immensely proud of the effect we have had on the environment, the people we have assisted in earning a living or supplementing their income and the awareness of recycling we have established. We have set the trend for all forms of packaging and the recovery activities in the country are driven by people who previously worked for Collect-a-Can.