MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – The Soutpansberg region may soon become an even more beautiful place to reside in, with more emphasis being placed on the recycling of waste such as plastic carry bags. One such initiative, a plastic recycling factory, was officially opened on Sunday.

Rocket Plastics and Rocket Recycling are the brainchild of three local businessmen, Viju Premjee, Devendra Patel and Pramod Patel. In September 2001, they decided to buy out a plastic manufacturing plant from Mr Hyder Patel in Shayandima and bring it to Louis Trichardt. "At that stage we had four bag-making machines and two extruders, all of which were in a poor state and which had to be refurbished," says Mr Devendra Patel. More machines were acquired and today the factory boasts seven bag-making machines and three extruders. In the factory, bags of just about any size and thickness can be manufactured. This includes everything from small clear bags used for packaging foodstuffs, to large, thick bags used for carrying goods.

The plastic industry, however, entails much more than just making bags. As Devendra Patel puts it "once you are hooked, you stay hooked." The directors gradually started looking at more ventures and recycling was the obvious choice. Not only did such a plant allow the opportunity to collect raw material, but it also promoted a cleaner environment, something that the partners felt strongly about. A couple of months ago, a plastic recycling plant was bought out in Johannesburg and transported to a newly acquired site in Makhado (Louis Trichardt). The machinery was refurbished and installed under the guidance of the very capable factory manager, Mr Dawie Botha. Mr Botha has many years of experience in the plastic manufacturing industry and had been a part of the factory when the original bag-making machines were still in Shayandima.

The mayor of the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Brighton Tlakula, officially opened the recycling plant on Sunday morning. In his speech he welcomed this initiative and said it would do a lot to help eliminate poverty and unemployment. He also encouraged more businessmen to make use of the incentives that Council offers to entrepreneurs, especially those in the manufacturing industry.

The guest speaker at the function was Mr Dave Gordon of Sasol, who regaled the guests with some interesting facts regarding the plastic industry. "Plastics have an undeserved reputation of being bad news, a danger to the environment and something that chases tourists away. I'm not going into that, except to say that bags don't litter – people do," he said.

Mr Gordon mentioned that in this country, 400 000 tons of polythene (plastic) are used per annum, of which about 70% is used to make packaging. He also defied the myth that packaging is wasteful. "In underdeveloped countries 40-60% of perishable food is lost or damaged because of the lack of good packaging. In developed countries that figure is below 5%. "Can you imagine buying frozen food without packaging?" he asked.

A lot of people regard Africa as a place where recycling is not a priority. Mr Gordon pointed out that in South Africa, 13% of all polythene products are recycled, which compares well to countries such as Germany where 15% of polythene products are recycled.

Mr Gordon applauded Rocket Plastics and Rocket Recycling for what they are doing. He emphasised that this is the responsible way to handle plastics. "Don't throw it away – use it again," he said.

In an interview earlier this week, the three directors of Rocket Plastics were very enthusiastic about their latest venture. "We can collect and recycle a large amount of the town and the region's plastic," said Mr Pramod Patel. Currently they collect plastics from a number of businesses in the retail and wholesale sector. The plant is capable of recycling low and high density plastic film products such as shrink wrapping and plastic bags.

The old plastic products are first washed and shredded into fine pieces, before being moulded into tiny pellets at the recycling plant. The plastic pellets are then transported to the manufacturing plant in Eltivillas, where the bags are made. The recycling plant can process 50 tons of plastic per month; running 24 hour shifts, six days per week. At the manufacturing plant, 39 tons can be processed per month. Rocket Plastics are able to make bags from as small as 10cm x 17cm, up to 100 micron bags of 90cm x 125cm. Products such as roof sheeting and refuse bags are thus possible. The plant can also produce bags that adhere to any of the standards set by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

"Recycling is the responsibility of every citizen," Mr Devendra Patel added. He urged residents of the town and region to start working pro-actively towards a cleaner environment, by separating their plastic products and making them available for recycling. "Businesses that have a lot of plastic waste can contact us," he said. Rocket Plastics will, where feasible, place containers at certain businesses and collect these free of charge. "In this way, we hope to promote a culture of recycling, which will have far-reaching consequences for the protection of our environment," Mr Patel added.

Businesses or residents, who want to have their low-density plastic recycled, can contact Dawie Botha at 072-1278295. Schools or other educational institutions that want to visit the recycling plant, can also contact Mr Botha for an appointment.