Press releases

Greater participation is needed to make recycling worthwhile for all

Details: Published: Thursday, 12 September 2013 11:12

Recycling can be a great contributor to the South African economy with job creation opportunities and direct benefits to the environment.

Mpact Recycling is asking consumers to put aside recyclable paper and packaging rather than dispose of it with the rest of their household waste.

KZN Regional Manager of Mpact Recycling Trevor Venter suggests that a great way to start recycling is with paper.

“Recycling paper which includes cardboard, old newspapers, magazines, outdated directories or schoolbooks is a simple process that goes a long way to reducing the impact on landfill sites, creating employment and reusing items that are simple to sort and recycle from home,” says Venter.
He explains that although it seems the easiest way to dispose of recyclable materials might be to throw them away with the rest of the garbage, Mpact Recycling’s neighbourhood “paper banks” make it simple for communities to recycle throughout the year.

Mpact Recycling, a division of Mpact Limited, has a number of paper bank drop-off points conveniently located at schools, churches, community centres and forecourts in neighbourhoods across Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Mpact collects upwards of 457 000 tons of recovered paper per year and about 70% of this is used by the Group’s paper mills in the manufacture of recycle-based paper and packaging.

Venter says that using only virgin fibre in the manufacture of paper-based packaging is not sustainable for the environment or for the packaging sector. It’s therefore critical that enough recycled paper is collected for conversion into fibre, he says.

The input of recovered paper also has a positive impact in terms of climate change because it replaces virgin material and reduces greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of virgin fibre, and prevents the land-filling or incineration of recovered paper.

“There is a growing awareness and sense of responsibility among consumers to buy packaged foods and goods that are environmentally sustainable,” says Venter, “So by recycling at home, consumers are at the source of this positive change.”

Recycling work also provides jobs for around 100 000 people in South Africa, many of whom are entrepreneurs and small business owners that rely on sustained volumes of recycled material to earn a living.

For more information about the Mpact Recycling kerbside collection service and paper banks in your neighbourhood please contact Mpact Recycling:

Step-by-step guide for recycling at home or at work:

1. Separate your paper

Here are some useful “do’s” and “don’ts” to help you remember when separating your recycling products:

Do’s	Don’ts
Old memos / letters	Polystyrene or paper cups and plates
Computer paper	Yoghurt cartons
Used photocopy paper	Sweet / chip wrappers
Windowless envelopes	Blueprint paper
Old books	Organic material (such as old food and vegetables)
Newspapers	Cigarette ends
Magazines	Tissues and paper towels
Cardboard (flattened)	Any bags which include a foiled lining on the inside, e.g. dog food bags
Old telephone books and Yellow Pages directories	Post-it notes (these are not recyclable because of the glues used to make them)
	Wax paper or waxed cartons (such as frozen fish boxes on paper)

2. The next is to identify what to do with your collected paper:

Paper banks and depots: There are Mpact Recycling paper banks in place at many schools, old age homes, community centres and dump sites. Choose a paper bank closest to you. Depots can also be found at many shopping centres, and dump sites. Call an Mpact branch near you to find out where your closest depot is.
Kerbside collections: Mpact Recycling operates kerbside collections in some areas of both Johannesburg and Pretoria. Households are provided with orange Ronnie Recycler bags for paper recycling. This is the easiest, most efficient way to recycling your paper. This is a free service. Call 0800 022 112 to check if your neighbourhood is listed for collections.
Schools: You can find Mpact Recycling paper banks at most schools. For schools that want to promote awareness about recycling, please contact 0800 022 112 to get more details.
Offices: Mpact Recycling offers different programmes for offices and businesses. Contact your nearest Mpact Recycling branch to find out how this works and how your office can get involved.

To find out about collection initiatives in your neighbourhood, from home or at community depots, please call:

0800 022 112 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Richards Bay: 035 751 1722
Durban: 031 274 6600