The latest recently announced glass recycling rate in South Africa is now 44%, according to The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC), which revealed the increased rate during its 7th Annual Green Dialogues, held virtually on Wednesday, 10 June, 2020.
“Our team has significantly reduced South Africa’s packaging waste through encouraging and supporting the reuse of returnable bottles and facilitating glass recycling within South Africa. In fact, since the inception of The Glass Recycling Company, an incredible 3.9 million tons of non-returnable glass has been recycled. In addition, in excess of 2 million tons of returnable bottles, have been diverted from landfills on an annual basis,” says Shabeer Jhetam, CEO of The Glass Recycling Company.
The event which reveals the local strides made in glass recycling over the course of the 2018/2019 financial year, also detailed the results achieved by the non-profit organisation, mandated with increasing glass recycling facilities.
TGRC’s key objectives include educating South Africans about glass recycling through marketing and communication campaigns.
Alongside the 44% glass recycling rate, other achievements detailed include:
- 4017 glass banks available across South Africa
Glass banks remain an essential part of The Glass Recycling Company’s success, as these glass banks help ensure that the recycling of glass bottles and jars is simple and accessible for all South Africans. This makes the expansion of the national footprint of convenient glass recycling banks paramount.
- >80% glass packaging diverted from landfills through reusing and recycling
More than 80% of all glass packaging is now diverted from landfills
- 2.3 million glass bottles recycled during the Annual Schools Competition
TGRC’s Annual Schools Competition educates learners around the country about the many benefits of glass recycling and the ease with which it can be done. The Annual Schools’ Competition sees learners, educators and communities competing to collect the most glass bottles and jars for recycling, with winning schools receiving monthly and annual prizes.
- 3 303 glass entrepreneurs trained
TGRC assists glass collectors, entrepreneurs and buy-back centres, by providing advice regarding the successful and sustainable running of their glass recycling businesses and supporting these businesses with the skills, equipment and infrastructure needed to maximise their potential, thereby enabling them to become sustainable contributors to national economic growth and job creation.
- 50 000 income opportunities created
Thousands of South Africans earn a source of income through the collection of waste glass from their local communities, restaurants, bars and taverns. This is done so by selling this valuable commodity onto entrepreneurial buy-back centres within their area. TGRC plays a vital role in partnering with entrepreneurs to create opportunities for them to build viable businesses within the glass recycling industry.
“I am tremendously proud of the team’s achievements and look forward to surpassing these current milestones, as we will be presented by additional opportunities like the forthcoming implementation of the national Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, that will see producers becoming accountable for the end-of-life impacts of its products and packaging,” concludes Jhetam.
A recording of the 7th Annual Green Dialogues session can be viewed here .Whilst the latest version of Annual Review document can be downloaded here .
About TGRC:
The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) consists of a team dedicated to increasing glass recycling in South Africa.
We are passionate about ensuring every South African realises the value of recycling glass and actively embraces this practice.
We strive to educate, enable, encourage and inspire individuals to separate their glass for recycling, but do not physically collect or recycle the glass.
Our focus extends beyond consumers and communities, but also on trade, industry and corporate South Africa.
We also aim to uplift impoverished communities by creating income generating opportunities and skills development in the recycling sector.
TGRC is funded by our committed shareholders who manufacture glass or package their products in glass.
We believe in the infinite potential of glass to make a real and positive contribution to society. At TGRC we are committed to show that glass recycling is worth the effort!
