Circularity in the plastic crates industry

This case study describes a circular economy intervention facilitated by the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) to connect a plastic crate manufacturer with a local recycler of HDPE and PP plastics.

• Quality Crate Manufacturers, a plastic injection moulding company in Blackheath, Cape Town, faced challenges sourcing competitive recycled HDPE in the Western Cape, as the business case for virgin plastics was stronger due to local availability.
• WISP facilitated a partnership between Quality Crate Manufacturers and West Coast Plastics, a recycler in Philippi East. Following an introduction on 9 October 2018, Quality Crate Manufacturers purchased an initial 18 tonnes of injection grade recycled HDPE pellets on 15 January 2019 for R180 000, followed by three additional orders totaling 17 tonnes for R170 000.
• The collaboration resulted in the diversion of 35 tonnes of HDPE plastic from landfill, which generated R350 000 in additional revenue for West Coast Plastics and avoided 80 tonnes of CO2e in greenhouse gas emissions.

APA

GreenCape (2020). Circularity in the plastic crates industry. https://greencape.co.za/assets/WISPCase-Study_Recycled_plastic_crates_2_7_20-v2.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Circularity in the plastic crates industry. 2020. https://greencape.co.za/assets/WISPCase-Study_Recycled_plastic_crates_2_7_20-v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Circularity in the plastic crates industry |date=2020 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/WISPCase-Study_Recycled_plastic_crates_2_7_20-v2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2020circularity, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Circularity in the plastic crates industry}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2020}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/WISPCase-Study_Recycled_plastic_crates_2_7_20-v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }