The OEM is helping to develop a cartridge recycling business in South Africa.
Biz Community reported that the company has been helping with the training of recycling developments, like New Circle Green Solutions which is owned by Ashley Radebe and Juanathan du Toit, who have received six month’s training and business coaching from Konica Minolta. The result sees the recycling business collecting ink and toner cartridges from the OEM’s “customer base in the Tshwane municipality”, after which it “delivers the components to [Konica Minolta’s] Pretoria branch” for counting.
When the collection is big enough, the cartridges are delivered to a recycling company for dismantling and reuse or recycling with the steel and aluminium being sold as “scrap metal”. Laetitia Coetzer, Special Project Manager at Konica Minolta SA, added that training and mentoring included all the aspects of running a small business including business plans, communication, client liaison, time management, tax, insurance and more.
She said: “Whilst training and monitoring New Circle Green Solutions, we witnessed that the pick up of used cartridges and toners from clients is a viable avenue worth pursuing further. Although New Circle Green Solutions is Tshwane-focused at the moment, we are aiming to extend the business to service the Johannesburg metro as well.
“It is most pleasing to see our small business development project bearing fruit. For the next three years, New Circle Green Solutions will be a beneficiary of Konica Minolta South Africa’s Supplier Development programme. Most importantly, however, the company is a separate legal entity and we are excited to see it strengthen by providing its services to more companies.”