A Blackheath factory is giving new life to old milk bottles by recycling them into new toys, such as replicas of the Checkers Sixty60 bikes and the Shoprite Kasi Kruza.
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Hope Sonic’s co-founder, Nilam Naran, says he got into the business after the production processes of vuvuzelas in the early 2010s intrigued him.
‘I was involved in vuvuzelas and saw the manufacturing process in China when I was there. I was quite intrigued,’ he told News24, adding that the factory was established in 2013 with second-hand machines.
After starting with black scooters and ride-on bikes, the facility now produces eight versions. The latest is a replica of the Checkers Sixty60 bikes and the Shoprite Kasi Kruza.
According to News24, Hope Sonic supplies toy ride-on bikes and others like tea and kitchen sets, diggers and dump trucks, among others, exclusively to Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets.
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Naran says using recycled materials is more cost-effective. ‘When it came to price, black as a recycled item is always less expensive than virgin (new) material.’
The aim is to have all the toys made from 100% recycled material, which is bought from collectors. ‘Most of the products we are dealing with are milk bottles,’ he adds.
He says the facility’s rooftop solar PV currently supplies between 20% and 24% of its power needs per day but ultimately, the plan is to make the facility 100% powered by renewable energy.
‘In the long term, it’s [about] how do you make a scooter that is 100% recycled and renewable energy. Imagine that?… I want to get there.’
About 90% of the Kasi Kruza is made from recycled materials (except its red load box), as well as the wheels of the Checkers Sixty60 bikes.
Furthermore, 80% of the factory’s employees are women. Lauren Solomon, a supervisor for over a decade, started at the facility drilling scooter handles and bodies before operating the machines.
‘I became a supervisor, and I started training the new ones (workers) on how to work the machines, how to mix and make the material.’
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the facility on Friday, highlighting it as a ‘shining example of Cape Town’s thriving businesses, where more and more Capetonians are getting jobs’.
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Picture: Shoprite Holdings