PSA: Woolworths is Trialing a Recycling Vending Machine in Cape Town
Listen, we get it, recycling can be a schlep but it’s a necessary schlep! Luckily for those living in Cape Town, Woolworths is trialing a user-friendly reverse recycling vending machine in its flagship green store in Cape Town, helping to make recycling just that little bit easier… And a whole lot more fun! Following an announcement by the store to achieve zero packaging waste to landfill by the year 2022, Woolworths’ new vending machine is an important trial in the challenge to minimise packaging responsibly.
The new vending machine forms part of Woolworths’ commitment to supporting consumers’ efforts to recycle, boosting the recycling industry in SA and reducing our carbon footprint. Located at the Woolworths flagship green store at Palmyra Junction, Claremont, the vending machine will be on trial for 3 months to assess frequency of use, optimal location, amount of recycling, consumer feedback and experience, servicing and other logistics.
The vending machine works by identifying a product’s recyclability by scanning its barcode. Takeaway coffee cups with barcodes, glass, tins, plastic bottles and containers up to 2.25l and Tetrapak are all items accepted by the machine. Once it’s close to reaching capacity, a local recycling company is alerted to collect the materials and ensures that the recyclable packaging does not end up in landfills unnecessarily.
Before being placed at the Claremont store, the machine was tested at the Woolworths head office in Cape Town and the goal is to roll it out into more stores around the country very soon. The database of the machine is expansive and is able to scan both Woolworths products and those of other popular brands too. To use the innovation, consumers simply log in as a user via mobile phone and can then deposit clean, barcoded recyclable items. It’s as easy as that!
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