Oasis Water introduces South Africa’s first fully recyclable 10L PET refill dispenser bottle

Why recycling matters

This innovation is part of Oasis Water’s mission to reduce the environmental impact of single-use plastics.

Plastic pollution remains a significant threat to marine life, with millions of tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. Seabirds, among others, are especially vulnerable, with studies showing that a large percentage of seabirds examined in post-mortems have ingested plastic.

"We frequently see the devastating effects of plastic on seabirds during beach cleanups and in post-mortems with items like bottle rings and other plastic debris often entangling or harming these creatures,” says Romandi de Jongh, resource development manager at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).

“We’re thrilled to see Oasis Water’s commitment to protecting our vulnerable environment. It is through collaborative efforts like Oasis’ move to more sustainable practices that we are able see real change in our fight against pollution.”

Globally, over 500 billion plastic bottles are used annually, yet 91% are not recycled. In South Africa, however, recycling is on the rise, with 431,800 tons of plastic recycled in 2023, up from 368,800 tons in 2022. While South Africa’s plastics industry is small on a global scale, the country leads Sub-Saharan Africa in plastic recycling solutions. Innovative approaches, like Oasis Water’s 10L PET bottles, stand out in the fight against plastic pollution.

A forward-thinking solution

Oasis Water has long been a pioneer in sustainable refill water solutions, with 70% of its water sales coming from refillable containers. The introduction of the 10L PET dispenser bottle reflects years of investment in research and development, ensuring that the bottles meet high standards of sustainability and recyclability. This forward-thinking approach has sparked a shift toward better industry practices – thanks to the benefits of working with PET plastic.

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is a preferred material for its strength, lightweight nature, and ease of recycling. Unlike many plastics that degrade during recycling, PET maintains its quality, allowing it to be reused for the same purpose - bottle-to-bottle recycling.

Unlike traditional water dispensers, Oasis Water’s new 10L PET dispenser bottles – exclusive to their ‘Water Exchange’ programme – are fully recyclable and contribute to creating a closed-loop system where old bottles are recycled into new ones, reducing the need for the production of new plastic.

Following the successful rollout of these bottles, further research and development will be underway in 2025 to shift their 20L bottles to PET.

"With proper design, PET bottles at the end of their life can become bottles again. This is a huge shift in the water dispenser industry toward true circularity, moving away from downcycling or single-use plastics,” says Chandru Wadhwani, joint managing director at ExtruPET.

Circularity in action

Achieving true circularity means keeping materials in use for as long as possible and reducing the need to create new plastic from scratch. Unlike plastics that are downcycled into lower-quality products with limited lifespans, PET plastic bottles can be efficiently recycled into new PET plastic bottles.

Oasis Water, in partnership with ExtruPET, ensures that every collected 10L PET dispenser bottle is processed and recycled into new bottles

"Design and intentionality are where it all begins," adds Wadhwani. "There's no point in putting products on the shelf without accounting for their end-of-life stage. Without this foresight, they will ultimately harm the environment."

By embedding sustainability into its core practices, Oasis Water has cemented its position as an industry leader in refill water solutions and a trailblazer in environmental responsibility.

"We’re proud to set this benchmark for sustainability in our industry," says Delamaine du Toit, director of marketing at Oasis Water. "We are committed to our vision and are taking meaningful steps to combat plastic waste and pollution while delivering clean, affordable drinking water to all South Africans.”

Interested in a water dispenser subscription? Enjoy a stylish dispenser for your home or office with 100L of water per month incl., now available in the new 10L PET format. Subscribe to the Water Exchange at https://waterexchange.co.za/. For more information about Oasis Water and its other offerings, visit https://oasiswater.co.za/.