Petco will create more employment opportunities for buy-back centres similar to owned by Loretta Waterboer.
The programme, initiated by PETCO and its funding partners, will see hundreds of people being trained on how to run a buy-back centre like a formal business.
Waterboer and others like her who run similar businesses often lack the necessary skills which includes business management will greatly benefit from the initiate as it will enable them to thrive, allowing them to employ more people.
According to the company, the initiative will not only stop at providing buy-back centre owners with the necessary, funding and ongoing mentorship will be provided as well.
“The programme will provide structured training and mentorship as well as infrastructural, equipment and funding support to enable entrepreneurs to grow their post-consumer waste collection volumes and run their businesses more effectively,” said the company’s CEO Cheri Scholtz.
She said the initial programme was being introduced in KwaZulu-Natal in early 2023, with a view to rolling it out across South Africa as more funding partners come on board.
“PETCO is very serious about creating a sustainable recycling value chain, with a plan which looks ahead as far as five years,” said Scholtz.
The company said it is passionate about contributing to the transformation of waste collection and recycling sector by providing support to waste business owners and waste collectors which will enable them to reach greater heights.
“The small business cannot be seen in isolation. It is essential to ensuring a reliable supply of quality feedstock to our recycling partners and must be supported as a key element of our overarching socio-economic and environmental strategy,” explained Scholtz.
Editor’s note: Businesspeople like Loretta Waterboer and others like her who sell waster for a profit often lack the necessary skills which includes business management will greatly benefit from the initiate as it will enable them to thrive, allowing them to employ more people.
Description: The programme, initiated by PETCO and its funding partners, will see hundreds of people being trained on how to run a buy-back centre like a formal business.
Editor: Anirlé de Meyer
Project manager: Anirlé de Meyer