PETCO, the organisation responsible for fulfilling the South African polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic industry’s role of extended producer responsibility, recently announced an increase in its annual PET recycling rate from 52% of post-consumer bottles in 2015 to 55% in 2016.

The organisation recycled an additional 22% of post-consumer bottles in comparison to the previous year, with the total PET market growing by 14,8% to 241 269 tonnes.

“PETCO is delighted with the latest figures,” says CEO Cheri Scholtz.

“More than two billion PET bottles were collected for recycling across South Africa during in 2016, creating some 62 000 income opportunities for small and micro-collectors.”

The voluntary recycling fee paid annually by PETCO members has enabled the payment of a total of R1,9 billion by our contracted recyclers to collectors for baled bottles since the inception of PETCO in 2004, resulting in almost 800 000 tonnes of carbon and over three million m³ of landfill space saved to date.

South Africa’s 55% recycling rate compares well with international PET recycling rates. The US rate of post-consumer PET recycling hovers around the 30% mark, while European average rates are around 59%.