It was about time the European Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisation (EPRO) looked beyond Europe, as plastics issues were becoming more and more global, said EPRO secretary general Peter Sundt ahead of this month’s international recycling colloquium to be held in partnership with South African waste management and recycling industries, in Cape Town.

“From the European side, we are all looking forward to this colloquium and meeting organisations and people from Africa. Now, it is up to all of us to share knowledge and learn from each other,” he added.

A 15-person delegation, representing various streams of the European recycling industry, will visit South Africa for EPRO’s first-ever annual general meeting on African soil on November 20. This will be followed by a full-day conference on November 21 entitled “Global Partnerships for a Sustainable Recycling Sector: Sharing. Dialogue. Action”. To afford visiting delegates an opportunity to see various recycling initiatives in and around Cape Town, a recycling tour will take place on November 22.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling company (Petco) CEO Cheri Scholtz said EPRO delegates were eager to learn from experiences in Southern Africa; in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa countries; and other developing countries, as well as the US.

She noted that the South African recycling industry welcomed the opportunity to learn and build networks with its European counterparts. 

“We are delighted and enthralled with the spirit of cooperation and support we have seen from businesses, industry associations, tertiary institutions, government departments and individuals who have partnered with us to make this event a reality and reach more stakeholders,” Scholtz said, noting that South Africa had a well-developed and diverse recycling industry that was eager to learn how to become more profitable, sustainable and cutting-edge.

“Judging by the participation we are seeing from both big and small businesses alike, as well as the number of tickets already sold, it is clear that the timing of this colloquium is spot on and that the topics that will be addressed resonate with what the industry is facing and wants to grapple with,” she added.

European speakers will present papers in seven plenary sessions and include European Union commissioner for the environment Janez Potočnik, who will deliver a video address.

South African experts include Department of Economic Development and Tourism energy and green economy director Jim Petrie, City of Cape Town solid waste management director Rustim Keraan and Institute of Waste Management Southern Africa president Dr Suzan Oelofse.

“We are excited about being able to partner with Petco in the hosting of an international conference on this level and believe that the input we receive and networks we build across will have a positive impact on the local recycling industry in the years to come,” said paper recycler Mpact Recycling MD John Hunt.

This sentiment was echoed by City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee member for utility services councillor Ernest Sonnenberg, who said the city looked forward to welcoming the local and international guests to its shores. 

“The City of Cape Town is proud to be considered a flagship municipality for the successes we have achieved in establishing successful and economically viable recycling and waste management operations. We look forward to sharing the lessons we have learnt with other municipalities and learning from our international colleagues,” he commented.

Petco said it had also received a lot of interest from local universities and research institutes which wanted to expose their students to the international experts.  “However, because seats at the conference are limited and at a premium, we have arranged an additional guest lecture by Sundt,” Scholtz explained, adding that the lecture, on November 19, was free and exclusively for students.