Following the success of their recycling facilities pilot project in the Western Cape, Woolworths are now rolling-out recycling bins for their customers’ convenience at selected stores in KwaZulu-Natal.
The pilot project was launched in October 2009, with recycling facilities at a number of Engen service stations in the greater Cape Town area. The pilot project was done in partnership with Engen and Nampak. The initiative allowed Woolworths customers and local residents the convenience of dropping off their glass, paper, plastic and cardboard waste for recycling, while filling up their vehicles at selected Engen forecourts or shopping at Woolworths Foodstops.
Woolworths extended the trial in 2011, by introducing recycling facilities to additional stores across the Western Cape and at locations in Gauteng.
“We’re thrilled to expand this project to KwaZulu-Natal. Given the positive response we received from our customers in the Western Cape and Gauteng, the time is perfect to broaden our roll-out of bin facilities,” says Justin Smith, manager of Woolworths Good Business Journey.
South Africa is facing various challenges in waste management, which includes inadequate waste services and infrastructure. On 9 November 2011, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa welcomed the approval of the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) by Cabinet for implementation. The NWMS establishes an integrated approach to waste management across government and all citizens.
“Woolworths is committed to helping manage waste more effectively in our country. Every small effort counts and we want to offer our customers an opportunity to do their bit. We know that our customers want to protect the environment and we are fully committed to making it as easy and convenient as possible for them to do so,” adds Smith.
“Sustainability has always been our focus at Engen. This initiative needed to have longevity and we have been able to guarantee the successful realisation of its long-term goals. We are proud to say that we have now rolled out to eleven sites in the Western Cape, thirteen in Gauteng Central, nine in Pretoria and eleven in KwaZulu-Natal,” says Dumisani Bengu, Retail Business Manager of Engen Sales and Marketing.
To date over 350 tons of waste has been collected in the Western Cape alone. Woolworths is looking at the logistics of rolling-out the recycling facilities to larger metros nationally.
Nampak collects the waste at all the facilities on a regular basis as part of its existing recycling routes and distribution networks and ensures it is recycled.
Firmly committed to its Good Business Journey goal to reduce the impact packaging has on the environment and reducing its carbon footprint, Woolworths has also become the first major South African retailer to use post-consumer recycled plastic in foods packaging. Woolworths ready-to-eat sandwiches have been packed in containers made with 30% PET (recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) made from recycled plastic bottles. Recycling 1 ton of PET bottles not only saves 6.2 cubic metres of landfill space, it helps create jobs, an estimation of 10 000 people earn an income from collecting bottles.
86% of Woolworths packaging is broadly recyclable and over 95% of our food lines have recycling symbols on the plastic packaging to help customers identify packaging for recycling.
Where to find the Woolworths recycling bins in KZN:
Recycling facilities are located at the following Engen and Woolworths Foodstops: Sherwood, Marburg, Oribi Plaza, Shelly Beach, Durban North, Glenashley, Hillcrest, Pinetown, LaLucia, Malvern, Glenhills, Montclair, Westville, Springfield Park.
Recycling guidelines to ensure your waste is disposed of appropriately:
- Rinse the glass, cans, and plastic containers before putting them into the recycling bins. This will ensure that your recyclables don’t start to smell, and it decreases the contamination of the materials for recycling.
- Squash plastic, tins and boxes prior to putting them in the relevant bin. In this way less space is taken up, and more material can be transported in one go, reducing transport costs and emissions.
- Choose products that are reusable rather than disposable.
- Choose products that have recyclable packaging rather than disposable packaging.
For more information about the Woolworths Good Business Journey please visit www.woolworthsholdings.co.za