Woolworths has partnered with WILDLANDS to establish a recycling village at Watercrest Mall to encourage citizen-action to improve our environment.  The Watercrest Mall recycling village is the third recycling village of this partnership with two more to follow, all in the KZN area, with the aim to increase recycling rates in South Africa. 

WILDLANDS recycling villages, which are at the forefront of recycling and the recycling circular economy in South Africa, are part of a well-established WILDTRUST programme.  Other partners include Dow Chemicals, Nedbank and YES (Youth Employment Service).

Feroz Koor, Woolworths Holdings Group Head of Sustainability, says, “Last year on World Environment Day, we announced our ambitious ZERO packaging waste to landfill commitments.  While we are working to phase out single use plastics and make all our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2022, we also want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to efficiently recycle. Their support of very accessible, well-run WILDLANDS recycling villages is not just good for the environment but the village concept also supports viable youth employment while connecting local schools and community-based

waste-preneurs.”

The Woolworths’ sponsorship included the upgrade of existing WILDLANDS recycling villages at the Hayfields Mall in Pietermaritzburg and The Quarry Centre in Hilton, the establishment of this new recycling village at Watercrest Mall in Hillcrest, Durban, with two more new recycling villages to follow in popular KwaZulu-Natal shopping centres where there are Woolworths’ stores.  The investment covers not just upgrades to infrastructure but vital public messaging to raise awareness of what substrates are recyclable.

Andrew Venter Chief Executive Officer of the WILDTRUST says, “It is a privilege for us to be partnering with Woolworths on their ZERO waste to landfill journey.  Our vision of a sustainable future for all is well-aligned to Woolworths’ strategy, ensuring that customers are offered more convenient options for preventing their waste from going to landfill.  With Woolworths ability to reach a large number of consumers with quality products and credible messaging, and our recycling expertise, our hope is that together we will encourage more South Africans to see that there is an alternative for their waste.  If we work alongside each other we can start to prevent the devastating impact that we now see along our coastlines and in all other ecosystems.”

“We are delighted that our store has been chosen for this trial as it leads the way in offering convenient, world class recycling facilities to our customer.  We know that care for the environment is close to our customers’ hearts and are looking forward to joining hands with them to increase recycling in our community,” says Nathi Sishi, Woolworths Watercrest Mall store manager.

“Watercrest Mall is proud to be a part of this incredibly important initiative. We are fully committed to working hand in hand with Woolworths and WILDLANDS to ensure the success of this project. Watercrest Mall already recycles our Mall waste, so we are delighted to be able to assist the public with recycling theirs.” Said Elizabeth Roux, Marketing Manager of Watercrest Mall. The Watercrest Mall WILDLANDS recycling village will accept: glass, paper, plastic, metals & e-waste. Customers can find the entrance to the recycling village off Brackenhill Road (using the second entrance to the mall, on the left).

CAPTION: WW Watercrest Mall Recycling Village

From left to right: Woolworths Watercrest management with Wildlands Recycling Village On-site Ambassadors: Nkosingiphile Mqadi, Veneshree Naidoo, Thembekazi Mbangatha, Nathi Sishi and Thabani Nxumalo.