BU S I N E S S DAY.CO. Z A
Business Day Insights NATIONAL CLEAN-UP & RECYCLE SA WEEK 2026
Friday 18 September 2026
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Plastic recycling economy gains ground Latest figures show growth, despite manufacturing downturn and tough economic conditions, writes Lynette Dicey While South Africa’s manufacturing sector continues to feel the strain of a difficult economy, plastic recycling has been growing for the past decade. According to the latest Plastics SA figures, South Africans recycled 485,000 tonnes of plastic in 2025, a 3% increase on the previous year and part of a remarkable trend that has seen domestic recyclate consumption grow by 62% over the past decade. The country’s overall plastics recycling rate is now at 30.1%, up from 28.4% in 2024, while the share of recycled content used in new plastic products has climbed from 16% a decade ago to 22% today. Unlike many recycling reports that focus only on packaging, these figures span the entire plastics industry, including construction, agriculture, automotive and consumer goods. “Recycling works,” says Anton Hanekom, executive director of Plastics SA. “The latest figures show growth despite very difficult trading and operational conditions. That is a remarkable achievement and proof the industry continues to invest, innovate and build a circular economy even under extremely challenging conditions.” The recycling growth stands in sharp contrast to what’s happening elsewhere in the value chain. Total domestic plastics consumption fell from 2.114-million tonnes in 2024 to 2.063-million tonnes in 2025, while virgin polymer
consumption dropped from 1.656-million tonnes to 1.610million tonnes, a 2.8% decline. Several major polymers recorded lower consumption, reflecting pressure on local manufacturers from rising imports, weak economic Anton Hanekom. growth and ongoing electricity constraints. Hanekom says this is not a sign South Africans are using less plastic, but that local manufacturers are producing less of it. “A decline in virgin polymer consumption is rarely good news. It tells us local manufacturers are producing less, investing less and facing increasing pressure. The plastics industry remains one of South Africa’s largest manufacturing sectors, so when manufacturing slows, our entire economy feels it.” Not every material followed the downward trend. Some plastic materials remained relatively resilient, buoyed by continued packaging demand, with PET recycling alone reaching 108.222-tonnes. South Africa’s recycling success depends on formal collectors, buy-back centres and material recovery facilities, the often-overlooked middle
step between a household’s recycling bin and a factory turning plastic into something new. These facilities supplied 70% of all recyclable material into the recycling system in 2025, making them the largest single source of feedstock for South African recyclers. “Formal collectors and material recovery facilities are the gatekeepers of South Africa’s recycling system,” says Hanekom. “Every piece of plastic that enters the value chain has been picked by a person, some on the curb side, some off landfill and a small quantity off conveyor belts at material recovery facilities. They decide what makes economic sense and what to buy. They need to be part of the medium to long-term planning and discussions.” Recycling is a meaningful source of livelihood, supporting an estimated 111,000 incomegenerating opportunities across the country’s recycling value chain in 2025, including nearly 8,000 people employed directly in formal recycling operations. That system remains under strain, however. Hanekom points to a long, inefficient recycling value chain where contamination and poor sorting still send large volumes of recyclable material to landfill, simply because waste isn’t separated at source or arrives at facilities too contaminated to process. “Recyclers cannot recycle material they
never receive,” he says. It is also worth noting a related regulatory shift. From January 1 2027, compliant plastic carrier and flat bags sold in South Africa will be required to contain 100% post-consumer recycled content, up from the current 75%. Rather than a reason to move away from plastic bags altogether, Plastics SA says this should be seen as an opportunity: a durable, reusable bag made entirely from recycled plastic creates a significant, guaranteed end-market for the material South Africa’s recyclers are working to collect, provided collection and sorting systems can keep pace with demand. For Hanekom, the figures point to an industry that has proven what’s possible, even as the systems around it lag behind. “It’s important to guard and protect what we have,” he says, urging consumers, businesses and government to support locally manufactured products containing recycled plastic. “Every purchase helps create demand for recyclate, supports local manufacturing, protects jobs and strengthens South Africa’s circular economy.” The challenge now, he says, isn’t proving that recycling works, it’s making sure the rest of the system — from municipal collection to procurement policy — starts pulling its weight too.
Event marks 30 years of helping to keep our country clean Every piece of litter picked up, every recyclable separated and every person who chooses not to litter is proof that meaningful environmental change starts with individual action. That’s the message behind Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week 2026, which started on September 14 and runs until September 20, as South Africans are once again encouraged to take pride in the places where they live, work, learn and play. This year carries added significance, marking the 30th anniversary of Plastics SA coordinating the campaign, which has grown into one of the country’s largest collaborative environmental initiatives. The campaign is supported by Producer Responsibility Organisations including Petco, Polyco, the Southern African Vinyls Association, EWASA, MetPac-SA, Fibre Circle and The Glass Recycling Company, alongside government departments, municipalities, NGOs, schools and thousands of volunteers nationwide. This year’s theme, “It Starts With Me”, reflects
director at Plastics SA. “Every clean-up, every volunteer and every yellow bag filled represents someone who chose to be part of the solution.” To support volunteers, Plastics SA will distribute 500,000 of its bright yellow clean-up bags to coordinators across the country. The week includes Communities are encouraged to remove litter from rivers, streams and canals. several key dates: National River that legacy. Clean-Up Day (September 16), National Recycling “Three decades later, that vision is stronger Day (September 18), International Coastal Cleanthan ever,” says Douw Steyn, Sustainability Up Day (September 19) and World Clean-Up Day
(September 20), with Plastics SA serving as South Africa’s national coordinator for the International Coastal Clean-Up, in partnership with the Sustainable Seas Trust. Beyond tidying neighbourhoods, these cleanups help protect wildlife, prevent blocked stormwater systems and stop litter from reaching rivers and oceans. Schools, businesses and individuals can join an existing clean-up or organise their own via www.cleanupandrecycle.co.za. As Steyn says: “A cleaner South Africa doesn’t begin with someone else. It starts with each one of us.”
Every yellow bag filled represents someone who chose to be part of the solution