Pick n Pay rolls out more Reverse Vending Machines, integrates Smart Shopper

Image supplied

Steffen Burrows, Pick n Pay sustainability manager, says this is making it easier and more rewarding for customers to recycle.

Sixteen new machines have been rolled out to Gauteng stores, bringing the total to 30 RVMs nationwide.

Since launching as a pilot in 2018, the RVM initiative has diverted over 480,000 items - weighing more than 34,000kg - from landfills. Each machine can store between 650 and 750 waste items and accept recyclable items such as PET plastic bottles, milk bottle containers, and cans.

Pick n Pay rewards customers for recycling

20 Mar 2024

Customers select rewards through Imagined Earth, the partner who helped design the machines and manage the rewards through their app.

To date, R40,000 worth of rewards have been issued to customers, with airtime and data among the most popular choices. With Smart Shopper points now a reward option, customers will earn Smart Shopper points which can be used to buy groceries, which wasn’t previously an offering.

Customers receive 100% of the recyclable value of the item deposited, the same amount any recycler would receive from a waste management facility. On average, customers earn up to 10c per item recycled, but the reward value is based on the item’s weight and type of material.

“This initiative encourages a culture of recycling by showing that waste has value. The RVMs incentivise customers to rethink their waste and recycle instead of discarding it in bins. We want to create education that there remains a value attached to an item, even once they have finished with the product,” says Burrows.

“With the reverse vending machines now integrated into the Smart Shopper programme, customers can actively create a sustainable loop – reintegrating waste into the economy – and earn real rewards for their efforts,” says Justin Needham, Managing Director of Imagined Earth.

“While the reward per item may seem small, it adds up quickly,” adds Burrows. “This is a win-win for customers and the environment – customers earn cashback in our stores now through Smart Shopper, and we assist in reducing the amount of waste ending up in landfills.”

Strong customer engagement is driving the expansion, with the volume of items recycled growing by 50% over the past six months. The RVM in a Pick n Pay store in Pretoria sees between 8,000 and 15,000 items being recycled a month. RVMs are strategically placed at the front of participating stores, making recycling accessible during a regular shop.

The expansion of RVMs has been made possible by partners. Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has joined arms with Pick n Pay to drive awareness of environmental stewardship by adding 16 more RVMs to stores. The other RVMs were in collaboration with Polyco.

“The placements of these RVMs in stores are designed to transform the way we think about recycling. They raise awareness, inspire action, and encourage a shift in mindset toward sustainability. As momentum builds for a South African Deposit Return System, initiatives like this bring us closer to making that vision a reality. Exciting times are ahead for South Africa’s recycling landscape,” concludes Needham.

Pick n Pay hopes to roll out more RVMs so that one in three stores offers the facility to customers.

How do the RVMs work?

1. Customers bring their recyclable items (with barcodes) to Pick n Pay when doing their grocery shopping. The machines have been programmed to accept commonly used products that can be recycled in South Africa and recognise these products by their barcodes.

Before visiting a store, customers can use the Imagined Earth app to scan a barcode to determine whether the product is accepted in the RVM.

Should the machine not recognise a barcode when the customer is using the RVM, the product will be returned. Customers are asked to then discard the product in the waste bin positioned next to each machine. Every day, the barcodes of products in the waste bin will be sent to Imagined Earth, where they will be researched. Should the packaging of that product be found to be recyclable, the machines will be programmed to accept the new barcode in the future. The consumer who tried to recycle the product will be notified of this fact via SMS.

2. Customers must enter their cell phone number on the RVM and follow the prompts before inserting their recycling.

3. How the rewards work:

• Imagined Earth pays out the recyclable value of an item to the customer, and this is digitally paid in full each time a customer recycles an item in the RVM. This price will fluctuate depending on the value paid by waste management facilities.
• Customers need to link their registered Smart Shopper card in the Imagined Earth app to claim their reward from the RVMs in Pick n Pay. The value from the recyclable item will then flow directly onto the customer’s Pick n Pay Smart Shopper card and can be used at till points.
• Smart Shoppers who have linked their registered Smart Shopper card in the Imagine Earth app can also select Smart Shopper as their reward when recycling items in other Imagined Earth RVMs not in a Pick n Pay store. Imagine Earth currently has over 160 RVMs across South Africa, working with different partners.

4. Each machine stores between 650 and 750 waste items or around 375 two-litre milk bottles. The machines notify the waste management provider when they need to be emptied; waste is sorted off-site and sent to the correct recycling facilities.