TO ensure that there is a future to leave a legacy for, South African be-verage brand, Twizza, has committed to recycling and has embarked on a solar power initiative at their Komani plant to reduce the impact on the environment.
Twizza is a member of PETCO, the South African recycling company, which is driven and financed by the plastic packaging industry to provide a solution for post-consumer PET plastic.
Recycling a single tonne of plastic bottles saves 1.5 tonnes of carbon versus landfilling or incineration, which is the reason for Twizza’s investment in recycling initiatives.
Lisle Clark, CEO of Twizza, said, “Being a voluntary member of the PET recycling company, Twizza pays a levy on every ton of PET that is converted in our production facilities.”
He said the organisation helped ensure more than 90 000 tonnes of PET is put back into the production chain as bottles and many other products.
Their involvement means that a large amount of PET does not end up in landfill sites and has a positive effect on the country’s GDP.
“Our voluntary fee is used in part to pay PETCO’s recycling partners. These partners purchase the used PET from collectors, who are very often the men and women you see on the street removing the bottles from wheelie bins on rubbish collection days,” said Clark.
In addition to recycling PETCO, Twizza has also implemented innovations within their plants to cut down on their impact on the environment.
Their Komani plant is home to their solar power initiative where they have installed 2 700 solar panels covering 5 500m2, generating 1.5 million KWH annually.
Twizza also harnesses the heat naturally generated from their plants to dissolve the sugar needed for the beverages, making their operations 25% more efficient on power.
Clark said recycling was not only about what they did as a company, but what we all do as individuals as well.
“It is important that we as South Africans all learn to recycle as much as possible and in that way, ensure our heritage continues,” he said.
