Ardagh Glass Packaging-South Africa’s (Ardagh’s) strong focus on glass recycling is driven not only by legislative requirements but is also a critical part of the company’s Sustainability Strategy.
Ardagh’s money4glass programme, launched in July 2023, is helping to drive a substantial increase in glass recycling, with exponential growth already recorded in the amount of glass waste collected. The programme empowers all levels of recyclers across South Africa and, as required by South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility legislation, money4glass purposely focuses on the integration of waste pickers into the country’s formal waste economy.
The number of waste pickers registered on the innovative platform has grown to 1 897, driving notable increases in material collected and transacted – from 42 tonnes in July 2023 to 38 377 tonnes by December 2025. This growth translated into significant financial impact: between June 2023 and December 2025, a total of R5.7 million has been paid to waste pickers, which includes the legislated service fee payment.
Importantly, the platform empowers recycling value chain players, enables enterprise development, and strengthens efficiencies of waste collection networks, including informal collectors. All this drives economic empowerment and small business development.
This Global Recycling Day we take a moment to pay tribute to just three of our many ‘Recycling Heroes’.
Boki Trading Enterprise started as a one-man operation with a single bakkie in Boksburg; today it is a thriving enterprise operating in Gauteng and the Northern Cape. Founder, Silas Phasha has built a legacy through glass recycling and has spent nearly two decades proving that recycling isn’t just about waste – it’s about impact.
His business now employs around 100 people and collects hundreds of tonnes of recyclables each year, with glass at the centre of it all.
“Glass is clean and 100% recyclable – over and over again,” says Phasha. “It’s one of the most sustainable materials out there. If we recycle it properly, this helps to keep our country clean and our economy moving.”
Phasha is on a mission to help his community see the value in waste. Through recycling, families are putting food on the table, sending children to school, and walking a little taller. His longstanding partnership with The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) has enabled him to reach new areas, collect larger volumes, and create more jobs. “Glass recycling is about dignity, pride, and environmental responsibility,” he says.
DanGeo Glass Recycling is owned by Mildred Davids (fondly known as Milly), who has been in the recycling business for as long as she can remember, recycling anything from glass to paper. In 2023 she decided to focus her efforts entirely on glass recycling. Davids works from her backyard and employs a driver, three assistants and a multi-lingual administrator who adds tremendous value to her engagement with her various clients. The team collects cullet from waste pickers in the Western Cape, from areas such as Belhar, Delft, Freedom Farm, Philippi, Khayelitsha, Crossroads, Athlone, Greenpoint, Nyanga and more.
Only introduced to money4glass in February 2025, Davids says she is disappointed that she didn’t start earlier. Her journey with the system has been both challenging and rewarding, with ongoing training provided by AGP proving invaluable in supporting her team’s adaptation to the digital platform. The success of her operation relies on her driver’s attention to detail in recording transactions accurately, which streamlines the administrative processes.
Davids is slowly seeing growth in her business since adopting money4glass. She appreciates how transparent and user-friendly the system is, particularly that she knows immediately how much she will receive for each transaction. The fact that she can transact via both her computer and her mobile phone makes ‘working on the go’ much easier. She believes money4glass is driving growth in glass recycling.
K.V.M Recyclers, a family-run business specialising in glass recycling since 2010 and now an up-and-coming glass supplier to AGP, is relatively new to the money4glass programme but is already seeing its benefits.
The KwaZulu-Natal-based glass recycling business has also been transacting on the platform for about eight months, and Managing Director, Keegan Moodley, believes that a key benefit of the platform is building relationships within the industry.
“money4glass makes the glass recycling chain more efficient by encouraging glass sellers to partner with glass buyers and transactions are simple,” says Moodley.
It is for this reason that K.V.M. Recyclers is encouraging smaller recycling companies to join the BanQu platform. “On the money4glass programme we can offer our suppliers incentives for the glass they sell to us as well as competitive rates,” explains Moodley. “This is a win-win for both parties as the more tonnage you supply, the more incentives you can earn.”
The larger recycling centres must often travel long distances to collect recycled glass, and the transport costs are a significant barrier to growth for these companies.
“The money4glass programme offers an added incentive for our business by paying transport subsidies, which allows us to grow at a faster rate,” says Moodley, who adds that TGRC also assists by providing consumables for waste collectors, such as protective wear and bulk bags.
At first, the BanQu platform was a bit tricky to navigate, but Moodley is grateful for the ongoing assistance they receive from Ardagh to ensure they are familiar and comfortable with the system.
“We would personally recommend money4glass to other glass recycling companies and smaller glass suppliers because of the benefits and the opportunities it provides to grow your business,” adds Moodley. “We also encourage smaller businesses who specialise in glass recycling to partner with us on the money4glass programme.”
To learn more, visit www.money4glass.co.za
