Collect-a-Can
Collect-a-Can is a South African not-for-profit metal can recovery and recycling joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nampak, operating eight branches across southern Africa to purchase used aluminium and steel cans from approximately 100,000 informal collectors and schools, then baling and selling them to steel mills and aluminium foundries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersGauteng, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Collect-a-Can does
Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd is a South African not-for-profit metal can recovery and recycling organisation, founded in 1993 as a joint venture between ArcelorMittal South Africa and Nampak to address the beverage can industry's environmental responsibility. The company operates a head office in Kyalami, Midrand and seven branches across southern Africa, with sites in Pretoria, Aeroton (Johannesburg), Vanderbijlpark, Durban, Cape Town, Gaborone (Botswana) and Windhoek (Namibia), giving it physical coverage across three countries and an operational footprint that extends into Lesotho via channel partners.
The core service is the collection, baling and sale of used metal cans (aluminium and steel beverage cans plus aerosol, food, oil and paint cans) to steel mills and aluminium foundries. Supply is sourced primarily from a community-led network of approximately 100,000 informal collectors who are paid cash per kilogram under the 'Cash for Cans' initiative, supplemented by schools competitions, agent/entrepreneur intermediaries and scrap-metal industry partners that fill geographic gaps. Collector support services — including bag provision, baling machine loans and transport assistance — are offered to scale high-volume suppliers.
The business model is a commodity-margin spread between price paid to collectors and price realised from mills/foundries, with prices set per can type and adjusted to underlying steel and aluminium market values; aluminium cans command materially higher rates than steel, which has driven a portfolio shift to aluminium since Nampak Bevcan converted to aluminium production. The company is explicitly structured as a not-for-profit, with any surplus redirected to environmental education and corporate social investment, and shareholder underwriting from ArcelorMittal and Nampak providing financial continuity. The product surface is operational rather than technology-led, with no API, mobile app, AI/ML capability or proprietary software product disclosed.
Collect-a-Can firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Collect-a-Can
- Legal name
- Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://collectacan.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Collect-a-Can is a South African not-for-profit metal can recovery and recycling joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nampak, operating eight branches across southern Africa to purchase used aluminium and steel cans from approximately 100,000 informal collectors and schools, then baling and selling them to steel mills and aluminium foundries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Collect-a-Can industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Metal Can Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF)
Keywords
Where Collect-a-Can is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gauteng
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices8 records
Markets served
Collect-a-Can business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Can Purchasing and Processing: Collect-a-Can purchases used metal cans from collectors at prices aligned to aluminium and steel market values. Prices are determined by can type (aluminium vs steel), quality, whether sorted/baled, and delivery method (collected vs delivered to branch). Revenue comes from selling processed bales to steel mills and aluminium foundries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aluminium beverage cans - highest value |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Steel beverage cans - moderate value |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Non-beverage cans (aerosol, food, oil, paint) - lower value |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mixed or rusty cans - lowest value |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Collect-a-Can product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Collect-a-Can purchases used metal cans (primarily aluminium beverage cans, plus steel beverage cans, aerosol, food, oil and paint cans) from informal collectors, schools, NGOs and community groups, and processes them into bales at its branches for sale to steel mills and aluminium foundries. The organisation operates the Cash for Cans initiative, a Schools Programme, and a seven-branch network across southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia) that supports an estimated 100,000 informal collectors earning income through the scheme.
Product overview
Collect-a-Can is a not-for-profit metal can recovery and recycling organization operating as a single unified service rather than a multi-module platform. The core offering consists of can collection and recycling services facilitated through a network of seven branches across southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia). The primary products include direct can recovery and recycling services, the Cash for Cans initiative that pays informal collectors for cans, a Schools Program that engages educational institutions in competitions, and Collector Support Services providing bags, baling equipment, and transport assistance. All collected cans are processed into bales and dispatched to steel mills and aluminium foundries for reprocessing into new metal products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Can Recovery and Recycling Services Core metal can recovery and recycling service that collects used aluminium and steel beverage cans, aerosol cans, food cans, oil cans, and paint cans from communities across southern Africa, bales them at branches, and dispatches them to steel mills and aluminium foundries for reprocessing into new metal products.
- Cash for Cans Initiative Community-based initiative that pays cash to informal can collectors, schools, NGOs and community groups for used metal cans, creating income opportunities and supporting entrepreneurial development in underserved communities across southern Africa.
- Branch Network Collection Services Can collection and processing services delivered through seven strategically positioned branches in southern Africa: Kyalami (head office), Aeroton, Pretoria, Vanderbijlpark, Durban and Cape Town in South Africa, plus Gaborone in Botswana and Windhoek in Namibia.
- Schools Programme Educational outreach programme that involves schools in can collection competitions, teaching students about recycling and environmental protection while generating supplementary funds for participating schools through annual competitions.
- Collector Support Services Support services for can collectors including provision of collection bags, baling machine loans for high-volume suppliers, and transport assistance to deliver cans to branches.
Quantifiable outcome
- 72% recovery rate for used beverage cans in southern Africa, up from 18% since 1993
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Collect-a-Can
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Collect-a-Can technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Collect-a-Can partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)majorSouth Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs. Collect-a-Can supports government environmental policies and cooperates on environmental awareness and recycling promotion.
- Local Government MunicipalitiesmajorPartnership with municipalities to reduce waste sent to landfill. Municipalities benefit from reduced waste volume and financial/space pressures.
- MetcominorScrap metal reporting partner. Scrap metal businesses report volumes to Metco for accurate southern Africa recovery rate reporting.
- Scrap Metal IndustryminorMakes major contribution to used metal can recoveries, particularly in areas where Collect-a-Can is not represented. Buy used metal cans as light scrap going forward.
- Namibia BreweriesminorHost of Namibia branch location at their facility. Active supporter of Collect-a-Can's operations in Namibia.
- ReclaimminorAdministering schools competition on behalf of Collect-a-Can in Port Elizabeth/Queenstown areas where company is not directly represented.
- The Packaging SAminorCorporate membership in industry association for packaging sector.
- The Metal Recyclers AssociationminorCorporate membership in industry association for metal recyclers.
- The Institute of Waste Management of Southern AfricaminorCorporate membership in professional body for waste management.
- Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and IndustryminorCorporate membership in local chamber of commerce.
- Botswana Chamber of Commerce, Industry & ManpowerminorCorporate membership in regional chamber of commerce.
- Recycle Namibia Forum (RNF)minorCorporate membership in recycling forum.
- MetPac SAminorCorporate membership in metal packaging association.
- National Recycling ForumminorCorporate membership in national recycling forum.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Collect-a-Can competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Novelis: Global leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, the dominant downstream buyer of recovered aluminium in many markets. Comparable as the demand-side counterpart Collect-a-Can ultimately sells into, with significant own-loop recycling capacity.
- Ball Corporation: Global beverage can manufacturer with growing investment in can-to-can recycling loops. Adjacent peer in the can value chain, increasingly competing with independent recovery organisations through closed-loop programmes.
Direct peers
- Interwaste: South African hazardous and industrial waste management company. Overlaps with Collect-a-Can in metals recovery and broader waste collection services to industrial and municipal customers in South Africa.
- Every Can Counts: European cross-industry beverage can recycling programme run by can makers, fillers, and recyclers. Mirrors Collect-a-Can's brand-led, schools-and-community engagement approach for beverage can recovery.
- PET Recycling Company (PETCO): South African PET bottle industry-funded recycling PRO. Mirrors Collect-a-Can's not-for-profit, corporate-shareholder, packaging-recovery structure and is a direct analogue as South Africa builds out stream-specific EPR schemes.
- Mpact Recycling: Vertically integrated South African paper and packaging recycler with collection infrastructure. Comparable in operating a multi-branch South African recovery network selling recovered material back into parent production lines.
- Reclaim: South African recycling and waste management company referenced in Collect-a-Can's own partnerships as administering schools competitions in areas where Collect-a-Can lacks direct branch coverage. Operates an overlapping can-recovery and scrap-collection model in the same southern African geography.
- Alupro: UK aluminium packaging recycling and producer responsibility organisation. Closest international analogue to Collect-a-Can's model: industry-funded, branch-based, community-collector-driven aluminium packaging recovery.
- The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC): South African industry-funded, not-for-profit glass packaging recovery organisation. Closely analogous producer-responsibility-style model applied to a different packaging substrate, sharing Collect-a-Can's structure of corporate founders, branch network, and school/community programmes.
Regional players
- Averda: Large emerging-markets waste management operator (active across MENA and Southern Africa). Comparable in operating integrated waste collection and materials recovery infrastructure, but geographically broader and portfolio-diversified beyond metals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Collect-a-Can social profiles
Digital presenceCollect-a-Can financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Collect-a-Can leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Collect-a-Can funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Collect-a-Can M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Collect-a-Can
What does Collect-a-Can do?
Collect-a-Can purchases used metal cans (primarily aluminium beverage cans, plus steel beverage cans, aerosol, food, oil and paint cans) from informal collectors, schools, NGOs and community groups, and processes them into bales at its branches for sale to steel mills and aluminium foundries. The organisation operates the Cash for Cans initiative, a Schools Programme, and a seven-branch network across southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia) that supports an estimated 100,000 informal collectors earning income through the scheme.
Is Collect-a-Can a public or private company?
Collect-a-Can is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Collect-a-Can founded?
Collect-a-Can was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Collect-a-Can based?
Collect-a-Can is headquartered in Gauteng, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Collect-a-Can make money?
One revenue line is on record: can Purchasing and Processing.
Who are Collect-a-Can's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Novelis and Ball Corporation. Direct peers are Interwaste, Every Can Counts, PET Recycling Company (PETCO), Mpact Recycling, Reclaim, Alupro and The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC). Averda is listed as a regional player.
Does Collect-a-Can have an API?
No public API is recorded for Collect-a-Can.
What industry is Collect-a-Can in?
Collect-a-Can's product category is Metal Can Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALADAF, Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous). Its NAICS code is 42393.