PETCO Kenya rebrands to the Packaging Producer Responsibility Organisation -PAKPRO

The Mount Kenya Times

Business
27 May 2023

The Mount Kenya Times

By Mt Kenya Times Reporter

Worth Noting:

The Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022, the Extended Producer Responsibility regulations (Draft) and the Extended Producer Responsibility guidelines all seek to ensure that producers of PAKPRO has held consultative engagements with various stakeholders, including the government, industry players, recyclers, collectors and developed a model that seeks to address the challenges in the existing value chains for various materials.
Through the County Sustainable Waste Management Implementation Program it seek to establish material transfer stations across all 47 counties in an effort to recover recyclables as well as offering bottom of the pyramid collectors direct access to market for their collections, at a fair price.

A new entity has been formed in an effort to create a fit for purpose producer responsibility.

It will among other things handle all non-hazardous packaging on behalf of its membership.

The move to rebrand PETCO is as a result of the recent events after the gazettement of the Sustainable Waste Management Act, The

Ministry of Environment and Forestry has been working on and the development of the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations Draft (EPR), where the producer responsibility organizations are required to manage all non-hazardous packaging as one of the listed categories

The EPR regulations propose there are five categories that each producer will be required to join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), which will undertake several activities on behalf of the producer to ensure their packaging does not affect the environment. These activities include recovery, collection, sorting, recycling, and treatment.

The Packaging Producer Responsibility Organisation has been actively involved in the development of various policies and pieces of legislation in an effort to spur the growth of a circular economy in the country.

The Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022, the Extended Producer Responsibility regulations (Draft) and the Extended Producer Responsibility guidelines all seek to ensure that producers of PAKPRO has held consultative engagements with various stakeholders, including the government, industry players, recyclers, collectors and developed a model that seeks to address the challenges in the existing value chains for various materials.

Through the County Sustainable Waste Management Implementation Program it seek to establish material transfer stations across all 47 counties in an effort to recover recyclables as well as offering bottom of the pyramid collectors direct access to market for their collections, at a fair price.

PAKPRO commits to improving awareness by increased educational activities among the Kenyan public on issues related to segregation and collection. In addition, the scheme will be implementing a model for value chain support to stimulate collection and increase consumptive demand for recycled products.

There is already existing recycling capacity and infrastructure in the country that has been developed over the years for various packaging materials, and our model will seek to continue to the maximize use of this.

The success of a circular economy requires collaboration beyond the traditional boundaries of business operators.

This partnership will ensure that both partners bring together a network of producers, collectors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders.

PAKPRO is a not for profit, business member organisation that offers extended producer responsibility solutions for all non-hazardous packaging materials in Kenya.

It’s offering covers packaging made from PET plastics, all Rigid and Flexible plastics, Liquid Board Packaging, Glass, Paper, Cardboard, Aluminum, Tin, Steel and Composites.

It’s business model focuses on creating value across all the value chains and for all our stakeholders.