K1 Recycling: A Case Study

A recycling story that resonates on a profound level

Tshepo Mazibuko, owner of K1 Recycling, has over the past decade made the transition to successful recycling entrepreneur whose achievements have been aired on national radio.

His progress was recently featured on Talk Radio 702 Cape Talk’s Nedbank Business Accelerator, and prompted presenter and business development specialist Pavlo Phitidis to comment: “His story resonated with me on such a profound level.”

Tshepo began as a collector – the first level of recycling, and advanced to the second level as a consolidator, sorting and delivering waste products. He now intends reaching the third and fourth levels as a processor and then manufacturer of products produced from waste.

In doing so, Tshepo will have been involved in every aspect of the industry, despite leaving school early owing to the untimely death

He established a relationship with a major chain where he has the exclusive rights to remove waste from a total of 12 outlets within the Northern and North West Cape.

While this is good news for Siphamandla, it is unquestionably good for the families of his 12 employees who now have permanent work in an employment-stressed region. But better things are on the horizon:

“Our plans going forward include buying baling machines and hiring many more people from local townships. Our forecasts suggest that within the short term we should be collecting and distributing about 170 tonnes of paper and plastic a month,” he says.

His long-term goal is to develop a processing plant in which paper and plastic waste is converted into usable raw material for the production of new products, thereby completing the recycling circle.

On a personal note, the viability of his operation has rewarded him with the funds to rapidly offset the debt of his original capital investment and has created a career opportunity for his younger brother to join him in an enterprise growing from strength to