Sasol Report to Society 2020 - Book - Page 56
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The year in review: global impact continued
Environmental stewardship continued
CASE STUDY
Sasol funds innovative
Packa-Ching® recycling initiative
A unique recycling business, ‘Packa-Ching’, has seen
community residents across South Africa making an
income by selling their recyclable packaging, shifting
behaviour towards recycling packaging waste and cleaning
up the environment.
Polyco, a producer responsibility organisation that looks after the interests of the
South African polyolefin packaging industry, has developed a mobile recyclables
buy-back business as a solution towards the plastic waste challenge.
The potential of the Packa-Ching recycling business model has resulted in a
partnership with Sasol coming on board as a key sponsor. Sasol is currently
executing a multi-faceted plastic sustainability approach to support the
elimination of plastic waste leakage into the South African environment.
Packa-Ching is a mobile separation-at-source recycling collection service. It
consists of a recycling collection truck and trailer that parks at different
collection points within a community and collects recyclable packaging material
from community members. Each Packa-Ching unit is managed by a business
owner, who operates the mobile recycling collection truck and trailer. Sasol
recognised collection as a key component of recycling and hence committed to
fund 25 additional Packa-Ching mobile units across South Africa. Sasol has now
further expanded on its commitment by agreeing to a much-needed fuel
sponsorship for all Packa-Ching business owners to assist them with their fuel
costs.
With logistics costs being a major factor in waste collection and recycling
operations in South Africa, support with fuel costs will be very important to help
these business owners build a sustainable business over the next five years,
while reaching more of the community, allowing more people to trade in their
recyclables. Sasol believes these units are an important and innovative initiative
that combats all recyclables waste pollution but also serves to support low
income communities by paying community members for their recyclables via a
cashless e-wallet system, empowering business owners, creating jobs and
educating communities on the importance of a cleaner environment.
If we can increase the participation rates in these communities, we can divert a
significant amount of recyclable packaging material that would have gone to
landfill as waste. Recyclable packaging that is lost to landfill is a lost value that
could have been economically repurposed.
“We are grateful for the support for our business owners and
key sponsors who make Packa-Ching the success that it is.
Our goal for Packa-Ching is to teach people within underresourced and informal communities that waste has value
when recycled. Residents bring their sorted recyclables to
the Packa-Ching unit, have them weighed, and in return are
paid directly into their eWallet via their cellphone.
Packa-Ching shows people that used packaging has value
and selling recyclables becomes recognised as an income
generating activity. The result is a cleaner environment and
a more economically active community.”
Mandy Naudé, CEO at The Polyolefin Responsibility Organisation
(Polyco).
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Sasol in society: 2020 report
Environmental education
and support
SOUTH AFRICA
The
Eco schools, Wildlife and Environment
Society of South Africa (WESSA) and
Enviro Quiz programmes reached 25 466
learners and 361 teachers to date.
On World Clean-Up Day, together with
Natref and Metsimaholo Local Municipality
we supported community members from
Wards 8 to 12 in Zamdela, participating in
a clean-up campaign to mark the
significance of the day. The clean-up
campaign formed part of a larger
environmental programme which uses
various approaches to empower
communities to keep their areas clean.
This programme educates communities to
prevent dumping of waste and promote
collection of recyclable waste.
Sasol employees also came together to
clean up the Bongani Mabaso Eco-Park.
More than 3 000 pupils from
Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal community
and surrounding schools participated in
the Clean-up and Recycle SA initiative in
support of the National Clean Rivers
Weekend and World Ocean Day.
Supporting waste
collection
In 2020 Sasol concluded a contract with
Polyco to roll out 25 Packa-Ching units
across the country and provided fuel support
to the entrepreneurs operating these mobile
recycling collection units.
