Producer responsibility organisation Polyco has launched a mobile recycling unit in KwaMashu that will be operated by community-based enterprise Itheku Recycling Group.

This expands the Packa-Ching recycling network in KwaZulu-Natal.

The new unit will increase access to paid recycling in communities across KwaMashu and KwaDukuza, while strengthening Itheku’s capacity to collect and process recyclable material, Polyco says.

Itheku is an established recycling and waste management enterprise, with operations in KwaMashu/Mount Moriah, Pinetown, Durban and KwaDukuza.

The company currently provides employment and income opportunities to 100 people and provides work opportunities to youth in the community.

The group processes an estimated 2 000 t/y of recyclable material, including polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, cardboard and paper.

The launch of the Packa-Ching trailer will increase Itheku’s collection capacity, operational efficiency and geographic reach, Polyco says.

Through the Packa-Ching model, community members and waste reclaimers are paid directly for the plastic, paper and cardboard they collect, with every transaction recorded through Polyco's WeighPay platform.

This is the sixty-third unit added to Polyco's national Packa-Ching network that brings paid, formalised recycling collection directly into communities across South Africa.

The Packa-Ching project has paid out more than R57-million to waste reclaimers and collected more than 45-million kilogrammes of recyclable material. In 2025, more than 8 650 reclaimers were registered and received service fee payments and the Packa-Ching project has supported over 200 jobs.

“Through Packa-Ching, we are bringing collection services and training closer to reclaimers while supporting job creation, skills development and more inclusive economic participation,” says Polyco enterprise development manager Lisl Doherty.

Further, the partnership with Itheku forms part of Polyco’s ongoing efforts to support community-based enterprises working to provide recycling services, which helps to formalise their operations, expand their reach and create sustainable income for the people who collect, sort and recover recyclable material every day.