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SAPRO’s best recycled product of the year award

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The South African Plastics Recyclers’ Organisation (SAPRO) has announced that entries are now open for its “Best Recycled Plastics Product of the Year Competition”, which will be hosted this year in collaboration with Plastics|SA and two of the world’s leaders in recycling machinery, EREMA Engineering Recycling Machinery & Facilities, and Starlinger Recycling Technology.

 

According to Annabé Pretorius of SAPRO, this will be the 5th year that the competition takes place, drawing entries from around the country.  “Recycling is not regarded as a very glamorous industry.  Although conditions are tough and the work hard, it is an industry that is fuelled by passion and creativity.  The SAPRO Best Recycled Product competition therefore offers the ideal platform to honour recyclers and all the parties involved in the value chain for their commitment to diverting waste away from our country’s landfills.  It acknowledges products that are made from recycled materials, and encourages brand owners and industrial designers to consider recycled plastics as a material of choice”.

 

This year’s competition invites entrants in the following five product categories:

 

  • Products made from 100 % recyclate

  • Products made from 100 % post-consumer recyclate

  • Products containing a percentage post-consumer recyclate

  • Products made from recycled mixed materials

  • Novel and Artistic products - i.e. articles made from discarded plastics products

 

A winner will be selected in each of the above categories, with the overall winner being awarded the SAPRO trophy for the Best Recycled Product of the year during the gala dinner that will take place on Friday, 18 September 2015 at the Spier Wine Estate, situated in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. 

 

Previous years’ overall winners include Tufflex with their Narrow Gauge Rail Sleeper (2010), Polypet with their Woolworths 1½ litre Juice Bottle (2011), Lasher Tools with their Ecobarrow (2012) and Unilever SA with their Sunlight Dishwashing Bottle (2013).

 

Each entry will be judged according to the following criteria:

 

  • Life expectancy of product

  • Sustainability of product, i.e. long-term demand and market acceptance of product

  • Measures taken to ensure product consistency and customer satisfaction despite recycled material content

  • Tonnage (potential tonnages) converted

  • Technical achievements in manufacturing to overcome recycled material challenges

  • Replacement of alternative materials

  • Wow! Factor

 

* Various weightings could be used to judge products objectively

 

 

 

“Plastics|SA is proud to once again be associated with SAPRO’s Best Recycled Product of the Year Award this competition forms one of the highlights of the plastics industry’s annual Clean-Up and Recycle week (14 - 19 September 2015). This prestigious event has proven to provide products made from recycled plastics phenomenal exposure in both the local and international media, bringing them to the attention of influential decision makers, brand owners and retailers, and generally increasing the market acceptance and a demand for recycled plastic material,” says Anton Hanekom, Executive Director of Plastics|SA.

 

“We are proud to support SAPRO’s competition this year as a platinum sponsor,” confirms Jeff Cawcutt of Starlinger. “The recycling of plastics has grown throughout the last years based on a cost effective substitution of raw material and the public awareness of environmental conservation. Starlinger Recycling Technology offers clients a wide range of extrusion pelletising lines in various configurations to find the ideal recycling solution for that will help therecyclers improve the quality and quantity of recycled material in order to meet the growing demands of the market”.

 

“Mechanical recycling in South Africa has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years.  As a leading recycling machine manufacturer, offering recycling solutions to the industry is obviously our main area of focus.  For this reason, this will be the second year that Erema sponsors the SAPRO Recycled Product of the Year Awards as proof of our commitment to actively support the recycling drive in South Africa.  By sponsoring events such as these, we feel we are helping to raise the profile and awareness of the industry,” says says Dean Toi of EREMA Plastic Recycling Systems.

 

Competition rules:

 

  1. An entry fee of R600.00 must accompany each entry on its own entry form. Please note that this fee is non-VAT and includes one ticket to the prize-giving gala dinner.

  2. Each entry must be accompanied by two professional quality digital images of high resolution (1+ MB) on a clearly marked CD; one image of the product and one image illustrating the product application.  It can also be mailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Provide the organisers with a short motivation on why this product should win – not more than 500 words.

  3. The actual, physical product must be delivered to the Plastics|SA Offices, Unit D, Olympic Park, 969 Voortrekker Rd, Maitland, Cape Town, marked for the attention of Annabe Pretorius, along with the entry form, photographs, motivation and entry fee before or on the closing date. Late entries will not be judged.

  4. It is the responsibility of the sender to confirm delivery if the entry was not delivered in person on telephone 021 591 5512.

  5. Should entrants require the return of their entries after the competition, arrangements must be made to collect the entry at the gala evening or no later than Monday afternoon 21 September from the Plastics|SA Maitland offices.

  6. The gala awards dinner will take place in Stellenbosch on Friday 18 September 2015, during which the recycler of the material, the manufacturer of the product as well as the brand owner will be acknowledged. Each category will have a category winner and the overall winner will be awarded with the “SAPRO Trophy for the Best Recycled Product 2015”.

  7. Any company in Africa may enter, provided that the recycled material originated in South Africa.

  8. Products that have been entered in previous years and did not win may enter again.

  9. No entries will be accepted after 14:00 on Monday, 3 August 2015.

     

 

 

For further ENTRY FORMS or information about the competition, please contact Annabe Pretorius on 083 654-8967 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

 

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