Recycling PET' the plastic used to manufacture beverage bottles and food containers' has helped generate almost 26'000 indirect jobs' and the plastics recycling industry can reduce poverty across SA and contribute to GDP growth' says PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz. PETCO is the industry organisation responsible for PET recycling in SA. Addressing the SA National Bottled Water Association's Conference in Midrand on Tuesday' Scholtz said that PETCO and its recycling initiatives had become a global benchmark for extended producer responsibility because of its success to bale by bale' year by year' reduce the volume of post-consumer PET plastic in the waste stream. Working with collectors' recyclers' converters and packaging designers to ensure the successful growth of the PET recycling industry' PETCO is well on the way to achieving its challenging target of recycling 50% of all beverage PET by 2015.