Afternoons with Pippa. Time to catch up on what's been happening in the City for both lifestyle and news subjects.

Pippa talks to Cheri Scholtz, the CEO of PETCO. 

PETCO is the NPO industry organisation responsible for managing PET plastic bottles, at the end of their life cycle. We are known as a Product Responsibility Organisation or an Extended Producer Responsibility Organisation.

Pippa Hudson interview With Cheri on Cape Talk, Friday 20 Jan 2017

Today, John Richards focuses on recycled plastic bottles. 

PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz explains that in 2016 they achieved a 55% recycling rate of all post-consumer PET bottles in South Africa. The organisation recycled an additional 22% of post-consumer bottles in comparison to the previous year, with the total PET market growing by 14.8% to 241 269 tonnes.

The voluntary recycling fee paid annually by PETCO members on every tonne of raw material purchased has enabled the payment of a total of R1.9 billion by our contracted recyclers to collectors for baled bottles since the inception of PETCO in 2004, ensuring the collection of PET bottles for recycling is sustained, and resulting in almost 800 000 tonnes of carbon and over 3 million m3 of landfill space saved to date.

Fine Music Radio - interview with PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz

PETCO has partnered with The Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) to set up the communications hub for The African Marine Waste Network (AMWN).

An ambitious collaboration between the 38 coastal and island states of Africa, the AWMN represents the first dedicated approach to addressing marine waste at a pan-African level – an African contribution to solving a global crisis.

Here, we give highlights from the first conference intended to bring key stakeholders in the PET value chain – government (national, provincial and local), the private sector, manufacturers, converters, bottlers, brand owners, recyclers, collectors, retailers, and consumers – to jointly develop and implement plans to address the challenges presented by waste in the marine environment.

Highlights from the African Marine Waste Conference - SAfm Interview with PETCO

Benito from Smile FM is joined in conversation with Cheri Scholtz, the CEO of the PETCO. PETCO is a company that specializes in recycling of post-consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate. 

With the increasing severity of the drought in the Western Cape, the storage and consumption of bottled water is expected to increase, and PET plastic bottles are a safe and convenient way to do this. 

Cheri Scholtz, CEO of PETCO, the PET Plastic Recycling Company, says that PET bottles are 100% recyclable and can be used over and over again. “PET bottles are not “single-use” bottles and are not trash. When they are recycled, they are made into new bottles for water or beverages or recycled into many new and useful products such as polyester fibre for duvets and pillows, jeans and t-shirts, and re-usable shopping bags.” 

PETCO’s tips to Capetonians include:

•	If collecting from a water point, it will be helpful to re-use your PET bottles, especially the 5 litre bottles.
•	When re-using PET bottles for water storage, please ensure that they are clean. PET bottles are safe for use and reuse so long as they are washed properly with detergent and a little water to remove bacteria, as you would any other container.
•	When dropping PET bottles off for recycling, there is no need to wash them.
•	Please do not throw the bottles away when you are finally finished using them – bottles should never be sent to landfill sites or end up as litter in the environment. PET bottles are fully recyclable when basic design principles are followed. Take your bottles to one of the following drop-off facilities where they will be sent to PETCO Member Companies for recycling: www.petco.co.za/drought-recycling
•	Please leave the caps on, as these are also recyclable, and we don't want them ending up as litter in our beautiful city.

Smile FM - The Honest Truth: Interview with PETCO CEO, Cheri Scholtz, 6 Feb 2018

As a nation facing the impact of drought in many of our provinces, South Africa has come to rely upon plastics to assist us in dealing with the accompanying water shortages and has trusted our robust recycling industry to get us through the crisis responsibly. With the increase in consumption of bottled water in Cape Town, the volume of bottles needing to be recycled is threatening to overwhelm local recycling capacity. In order to prevent PET bottles needlessly ending up landfills, three companies have joined forces to overcome the challenge.

http://petco.co.za/petco-partners-relieve-pressure-western-cape-recycling-capacity/