We, therefore, see the need for companies and households to increase their involvement to increase the recycling rate.” As an organisation, that is a milestone for us however, we continuously seek to improve and better these statistics. “We are preventing eight out of ten bottles from ending up in landfills. Moreover, he notes there is a gap in the upper LSM in terms of recycling from companies, households and restaurants because recycle banks are not easily allowed to be placed at these facilities and, as a result, little recycling takes place. The centres create a chain reaction whereby the community and organisation benefit, says Jhetam. Jhetam adds that the buy-back centres are, therefore, conveniently located to accommodate lower living standards measurement (LSM) collectors using trolleys or other ways of transporting glass bottles. He points out that the majority of recycled glass in South Africa is collected by predominantly unemployed or lower income individuals. Individuals can recycle glass at TGRC’s glass banks, of which there are more than 4 000 nationwide, he adds. Jhetam comments that TGRC supports buy-back centres that are available for glass collectors to sell and recycle glass materials they have collected in communities, noting that there are currently 50 000 glass collectors who use the centres. “We strive to educate, enable, encourage and inspire individuals, as well as uplift impoverished communities by creating income-generating opportunities and skills development in the recycling sector.” Moreover, he puts forward that recycling is environment friendly and provides opportunities for community and entrepreneurial development. In the past 20 years, South Africa’s carbon footprint has also declined, owing to the lightweighting of glass,” he asserts. “Some of the most notable advantages of recycling can be seen in the amount of energy, water and raw materials that are saved. Actual environmental benefits are such that an old product can be used to produce a new product which reduces water and air pollution as well.

Jhetam further emphasises that bottle-to-bottle loop recycling is also important, owing to all recycled glass being used to produce new glass. Through glass recycling – excluding the reduction of carbon emissions from the returnable system – about 220 000 t of carbon emissions were prevented from being emitted last year. Carbon emissions are reduced by 2.8-million tons yearly as a result of the returnable system. He explains that South Africa has one of the most sophisticated glass returnable systems in the world and reusing glass packaging reduces carbon emissions significantly. Jhetam reiterates that the organisation’s core objective remains keeping glass packaging sustainable by promoting the practice of recycling and reusing glass, as it is an environment-friendly packaging material that could produce greater benefits.

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