Recycling at head office
We use an online system to track waste streams on a real-time basis at our head office. Waste streams are sorted and sent for recycling.

Recycling at stores
All Woolworths’ secondary and tertiary packaging used in our stores, such as cardboard cartons and protective packaging, is collected, managed, and recycled from stores using existing logistics operations, or utilising reverse logistics within our existing network.

Recycling at distribution centres
Our distribution centres manage waste from a number of sources, including transit packaging, waste generated at stores returned via reverse logistics, as well as waste generated on site. All these waste streams are sorted and sent for recycling.

Surplus food and clothing
Woolworths is also one of the founding members of the SA Food Loss & Waste Voluntary Agreement. Through this agreement, we have committed to a 50% reduction in edible food waste going to landfill by 2030. Woolworths donates surplus food from its stores to local charities. This is food that is past its ‘sell by’ date, but not its ‘use by’ date. 

Woolworths also donates all surplus clothing from stores to the Clothing Bank. Customers can also donate their pre-loved clothing at selected stores across the country, also for donation to the Clothing Bank.

Hanger recycling
The hangers used in Woolworths stores are made from a minimum of 50% recycled material. To ensure that they do not become waste, used hangers are collected from all Woolworths stores for recycling or refurbishment and reuse. 

Customer takeback
We have rolled out the following at Woolworths stores and WCafes around the country: 

• Coffee cup, compact fluorescent lighbulb and battery recycling bins 
• Reverse vending machines
• Clothing recycling bins

In partnership with ImagineIf, we have also established recycling collection villages at selected shopping centres.

Online packaging
All Woolworths ‘void fill’ – or stuffing -  used for our online deliveries is made of 100% recycled and recyclable content, which is locally sourced. We have also phased out the hologram on the accompanying dispatch documentation, which makes the documents fully recyclable.

On-pack recycling label
A few years ago, we introduced On-Pack Recycling Labels (OPRL) on Woolworths products. These are labels on product packaging indicating what can actually be recycled in metropolitan areas in South Africa. By making recycling information clearer, we hope that much more waste will be recycled, less contamination will occur in recycling streams, and that more investments will be made into recycling infrastructure.

Circular fashion
We continue to investigate alternative, renewed and recycled materials for use in our clothing products to ensure a circular economy. 

DID YOU KNOW?

• Woolworths is one of the founding members of the South African Plastics Pact, a collative initiative that brings together key stakeholders from the local plastics chain, including businesses, the South African government, and NGOs, to tackle plastic waste and pollution at its source
• Woolworths is working to phase out single-use plastic shopping bags
• Watch video

• Remember to bring your own reusable bags when shopping
• Use our customer takeback facilities in stores – recycling bins for compact fluorescent lightbulbs, batteries, coffee cups, clothing as well as our reverse vending machines
• Minimise food waste by buying only what you need and using leftovers where possible
• Buy products and packaging that contain recycled material and/or are recyclable. Look out for this information on the on-pack recycling labelling 
   

REMOVED

SPECIALITY TOMATOES PACKAGING
Our speciality range of tomatoes now comes in a fully recyclable kraft tray made from 65% recycled paper, and a polypropylene lid.  These changes resulted in 20 g less plastic per pack or 77 tonnes less plastic, per year from going to landfill. The kraft trays are not only good in diverting waste from landfill, they are also breathable and absorb moisture, keeping the tomatoes fresher for longer and adding a full day to the shelf-life.

REDUCED

LONG LIFE HERBS & SPICES PACKAGING
We’ve redesigned most of our long-life herbs & spices packaging, saving 364 tonnes of packaging from going to landfill.

RECYCLE

EARTH FRIENDLY RANGE
The entire range is fully recyclable.

• All the metal springs in our pumps and triggers have been removed, and the triggers are now fully recyclable. 
• The entire range contains a minimum of 25% recycled plastic [rPET] content.

RECYCLE

DRAIN MAINTAINER & TILE CLEANER BOTTLES
Our Drain Maintainer and Tile Cleaner 750ml bottles are made from 30% plant-based HDPE and 70% recycled HDPE, and are fully recyclable.

RECYCLE

CARPET UPHOLSTERY CLEANER BOTTLES
Our Carpet Upholstery Cleaner 500ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) content. They are fully recyclable, including the trigger.

RECYCLE

OVEN & BRAAI GRID CLEANER BOTTLES
Our Oven and Braai Grid Cleaner 500ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) content. They are fully recyclable, including the trigger.

RECYCLE

LAMINATED FLOOR CLEANER BOTTLES
Our Laminated Floor Cleaner 500ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) content. They are fully recyclable, including the trigger.

RECYCLE

GLASS & WINDOW CLEANER BOTTLES
Our Glass and Window Cleaner 500ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) content. They are fully recyclable, including the trigger.

RECYCLE

HANDWASH BOTTLES
Our Handwash 250ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic content [rPET]. They are fully recyclable, including the pump.

RECYCLE

FROZEN FISH RANGE
* Our frozen fish range comes in fully recyclable boxes.
* The plastic-coated board is now collected, recycled and converted back into either new packaging or other elements like posters.

Find out more in our policies and position statements.

 

• Zero hunger.

 

• Responsible consumption and production.

 

• Partnerships for the goals.

Find out more about our Good Business Journey and our energy and climate change programmes in our annual Good Business Journey report.