South Africa’s leading recycler, Mpact Recycling, opened its recycling operation in Bridge City, KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal.

The R150 million investment into this world-class infrastructure in the region will succeed in enabling the Mpact Group to service the Northern Coast corridor, and in turn, to uplift its surroundings communities.

The project was brought about through close collaboration over several years between the Mpact Group, Mpact Recycling and the Mpact Paper businesses. Construction began in June 2021 and was completed in April 2022. The new operation allows for increased collection, sorting and baling of major waste streams such as paper, plastic, cardboard and the central collection of glass. Ultimately, this keeps perfectly recyclable products from going to landfill and into the recycling stream quicker.

“This investment really represents our commitment to growing recycling and the recycling economy within KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa”, says John Hunt, Managing Director at Mpact Recycling.

The Mpact Group is confident that this new operation will open opportunities for recycling SMME's to form and develop in the area and to ultimately continue to contribute to the economy well into the future. “We chose this area because it is convenient for local businesses and there is ease of access for our existing suppliers, employees and contractors, and the community,” says Hunt.

The new operation boasts improved operational efficiency, increased volume throughput and a reduction on the reliance on grid-based energy supply. An initial solar installation of 130kW provides the facility with enough power to enable “grid-free” daytime operations. Over time, Mpact will consider expanding the solar installation and tying into the local supply grid for either resale or wheeling to its other KwaZulu-Natal operations.

The main warehouse, including a separate administration and operations centre, allowed Mpact Recycling to relocate its large sorting plant as well as two baling machines all under roof from its previous location. The improved design and process flow will reduce offloading and loading times for suppliers and collection vehicles, thereby improving capacity for collections with the existing fleet.

The process improvement also reduces risk to workers and suppliers as the congestion around the offloading area can be better managed. “This facility has been purpose-built,” says Kevin Matthews, National Technical Manager of Mpact Recycling. “We’ve considered all the inefficiencies and where we can make improvements in process flow, and that is going to be a gamechanger for us going forward,”

Mpact Recycling operates three sorting and baling plants within the KwaZulu-Natal province. This makes it an important province for Mpact Recycling’s general operations, which, in turn, makes Mpact Recycling an asset to surrounding businesses and communities.

“It demonstrates in every sense what it is to develop smarter, sustainable solutions in every aspect of our business,” adds a proud Bruce Strong, CEO of Mpact.