A Packa-Ching mobile buy-back recycling centre was launched in Happy Valley in Blackheath recently, the second one in Cape Town.
The new Packa-Ching unit, co-sponsored by Shoprite, will buy recyclable packaging material (plastic, glass, cans and paper) from the surrounding communities, including Delft.
The recyclable material is weighed and users are paid for the value thereof via a cashless eWallet system in real time.
With a unique, entrepreneur-focused approach, each Packa-Ching recycling unit is owner-operated. The latest entrepreneur to be empowered through this programme is Clement Adams from Johencar Recycling.
Adams and his father started collecting waste to recycle as a side hustle. As the demand soon grew Johencar Recycling was established in 2011.
“Before I was just a waste collector, but this unit has enabled me to buy waste and open up opportunities. Not only has it created an additional five jobs, it also generates income for community members for recycling and the cashless system makes it so much easier, because it takes away the risk of carrying cash,” says Adams.
The initiative contributes to a cleaner environment and poverty alleviation by creating an income earning opportunity.
Packa-Ching was founded by Polyco and is sponsored by Shoprite and Sasol. It services more than 79 communities and schools across the country. To date more than five million kilograms of waste was diverted from landfill, and more than R4 million paid out to people. “We’ve seen the positive impact of this programme on various local communities – both for the employees and those generating an income from recyclables,” says Sanjeev Raghubir, Shoprite Group’s sustainability manager.
Shoprite supports eight other Packa-Ching centres across South Africa of which one other in Cape Town (the unit moves between Bonteheuwel, Langa, Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Joe Slovo, Lavender Hill and Philippi).
Visit www.packaching.co.za for more information.
