3 minute read
Start Earning with Collect-a-Can
from Spotong Issue 1
by 3S Media
The unemployment rate in South Africa is unacceptably high, with thousands of people sitting at home without any means to earn an income; the need for entrepreneurial development has never been more dire. As a result, people have had to find alternative means of earning an income and waste management has emerged as a real and valid way for people to make money for themselves. Collect-a-Can is in the business of recovering used cans and processing them for recycling and their latest initiative allows those who collect used cans for Collect-aCan to earn some money. Apart from making money, you’ll be benefitting the environment too as most metal cans are 100% recyclable. “At Collecta-Can we’ve always strived to support entrepreneurs who wish to build a career for themselves through recovering cans,” says Gregory Masoka, Operations Manager. Collect-a-Can offers advice on how to start-up a can collection business, and is in partnership with various recycling bodies to offer group training session organised by Municipalities. Masoka says people can collect cans as individuals or form co-operatives to establish a can collection business. The project can also be pioneered by people with existing businesses within the community such as spaza shops and tavern owners where they mobilise the community at large, especially unemployed individuals, to partake in the project to earn a living. Masoka says this would fulfil the main objective of the project which is to clean the environment while ensuring that collectors extract economic value at the same time. For people wanting to venture into the business, they only need a storage area where the collected cans would be kept as a start, and perhaps as the business grows; reliable transport would be required to deliver the cans to Collect-a-Can. “Collect-a-can does offer a collection service to those who do not have their own transport but they would be paid less than when they deliver the cans themselves,” says Masoka.
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The Collect-A-Can objective is to clean the environment while ensuring that collectors extract economic value at the same time.
How to earn cash for cans
Begin by collecting as many used cans as possible and make sure that they are empty. Sort your cans according to value into the following three categories: • Aluminum beverage cans, which are the most valuable. These are normally energy drinks and imported beer cans. • Steel beverage cans which are the next most valuable – and usually soft drink cans. • Aerosol, food, oil and paint cans.
Mixed cans will also be accepted but you will receive a lower rate for them.
Large collection bags are available on loan from Collect-a-Can depots in which you can store your cans. Once you have stockpiled a large amount of cans, take them to your nearest Collect-a-Can branch where they will be weighed, inspected and graded. You will then be paid cash for your cans. Collect-a-Can will also collect your cans from you if you fall within one of their collection areas but cans that are collected earn a lower rate. With the welcome weight of some cash in your pocket you are bound to feel motivated to start collecting cans all over again. You can even ask your local taverns, restaurants, bars and sports stadiums to give you their used cans to boost the amount of cans you can collect.
What happens to cans once they reach Collect-a-Can
Collect-a-Can does not recycle steel itself. All cans recovered are either compressed into bales and sold on the open market to steel mills to produce new prime steel or turned into briquettes which are sold to the mining operations. Collect-a-Can has a depot in Aeroton near Soweto where they buy cans directly from the public and other established can collectors.
