Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dr Dion George has cut the ribbon on Extrupet’s new food-grade polyethylene terephthalate – PET – plastic recycling plant in Cape Town.

The facility was developed in partnership with Propet and Petco.

The Cape Town plant adds 15 000 t of recycled PET a year to 25-year-old Extrupet’s total output, increasing it from 30 000 t to 45 000 t.

With Phase 2 in the works, national capacity could reach 60 000 t next year.

The Cape Town addition should enhance the competitiveness of Western Cape Inc, as producers can now meet new EU rules that require a minimum of 25% certified recycled PET in plastic beverage bottles.

Speaking at the event, George said he regarded the plant as a symbol of how South Africa can turn a crisis into an opportunity.

“It shows that with clear policy, vision and partnership, plastic waste can be transformed from a burden on our environment into a driver of jobs, innovation and inclusive growth.”

George emphasised government’s role in creating an enabling environment for recycling plants, through frameworks such as the National Development Plan, the National Waste Management Strategy, as well as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.

PET plastics, among the most visible and valuable materials in the waste stream, support not only waste pickers financially, but also small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs), he added.

“Supply must meet demand,” noted George. “Waste pickers and SMMEs are central to that supply. They are not on the margins of this story – they are at its heart.

“Our work with municipalities to integrate waste pickers into their formal systems will strengthen this value-chain.”

Under EPR regulations, producers must meet targets for both collection and recycling.

Petco, as the producer responsibility organisation, supports compliance with these regulations, resulting in what it says is the collection and recycling of more than 70% of PET beverage bottles placed on the market by its members.