Plastic recycling in South Africa finds itself in a precarious state. While World Environment Day calls to #BeatPlasticPollution echoed across the country in June, one company used the moment to spotlight a harsher truth: unless tougher policies are adopted to mandate recycled content in packaging, even the most advanced recycling plants risk stagnation – just as plastic waste generation continues to rise.

Extrupet, Africa’s largest producer of food-grade recycled PET (rPET), opened its doors to Dr Dion George, minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) delegation at its Wadeville facility in June. While the visit underscored the company’s 25-year commitment to recycling innovation, it also laid bare the vulnerabilities threatening the entire sector.

‘This visit gave the minister crucial perspective on the realities of the industry,’ explains Chandru Wadhwani, joint managing director of Extrupet. ‘It’s not just about collecting bottles. If products aren’t designed for recyclability and there’s no legal requirement to include recycled content, then the whole model is potentially undermined.’

Chandru’s message is as sharp as it is urgent: policy must catch up with potential. South Africa’s voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) efforts, initiated with Petco in 2000, have laid a solid foundation. But now, he argues, the country needs to raise the bar to keep momentum alive – and to avoid the fate of plants in the UK and US that have shut down despite having capacity, simply because there’s declining demand for recycled material.

Case in point: Alpek Polyester recently joined a growing list of major recyclers shutting down operations, announcing the closure of its Cedar Creek and Clear Path Recycling facilities in North Carolina, USA. These sites, which produced both virgin and recycled PET, highlight the mounting pressure on recyclers amid weak demand and inadequate policy support.

Telly Chauke, CEO of Petco, agrees that the system is at a tipping point. ‘These are unprecedented times for the recycling economy,’ she states. ‘Over the past two decades, Petco has sustained the recycling value chain through vital support to collectors and recyclers. But today, interventions must go beyond capital injections.’

Telly highlights how low virgin resin prices, especially from Asian and Middle Eastern producers, have distorted the market. ‘Add to that the absence of meaningful policies to discourage virgin plastic use or incentivise recycled content and we’re undermining the very progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve,’ she says.

High utility and processing costs further squeeze recyclers, making it increasingly difficult for recycled materials to compete. ‘The profitability and operability of many local recycling businesses are now at risk,’ Telly adds. ‘We echo our partners’ calls for greater inclusion rates of recycled content and believe the minister’s visit will hopefully spark the policy reforms this industry desperately needs.’

Currently, South Africa mandates just 20% recycled content in PET packaging by 2026 – a target Chandru believes is too low. ‘India began Year 1 at 30%. We should match that by 2027 and push to 50% by 2031. The infrastructure is here. ALPLA’s recent investment proves the capacity exists,’ he insists.

But that ambition must be coupled with practical strategy. ‘Start with PET – where the ecosystem is mature – and then scale to HDPE, LDPE and polypropylene as capacity builds. Focus where we can win and legislate accordingly,’ he advises.

For Chandru, the core issue remains: unless there’s real demand for recycled output, the entire system grinds to a halt. ‘We can collect every bottle in the country, but if no one buys the recycled resin, plants will close, collectors stop collecting and waste piles up.’

Recycling is not just about reducing waste. It’s about creating a commercially viable circular economy. And for that to happen, there must be accountability, ambition and legislative teeth.”

Despite these challenges, Extrupet continues to raise the bar. Its Wadeville plant is the only BRC-accredited bottle-to-bottle facility in Africa, producing PhoenixPET® resin certified by both the EU and US FDA. With the ability to process over five million bottles a day at its Wadeville site alone, and multiple WorldStar and IPSA Gold Pack awards under its belt, Extrupet is a shining example of what’s possible when innovation meets commitment.

Chandru hopes the minister’s visit marked a turning point – not just in awareness but in action. ‘He saw firsthand the challenges we face. Now we need policy to match the potential. Recycling isn’t just about keeping plastic out of the environment – it’s about making circularity commercially viable.’

Telly echoes this sentiment. ‘We remain proud of the outstanding results that Extrupet continues to deliver year-on-year,’ she says. ‘But it’s time to close the loop with the right legislative levers – ones that support recyclers, protect the environment and foster a thriving circular economy.’

Extrupet’s Wadeville facility may be a model for what’s possible. But without coordinated, decisive national action, it risks becoming a monument to missed opportunity.

As South Africa rallies under the #BeatPlasticPollution banner, the question remains: will it also build the policies needed to actually win the war?

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