Local woman excels at recycling
Feleza began her career in the recycling industry in the 1990s
DUDU Feleza, the owner of a recycling buy-back centre in Kempton Park, has been supplying material to Mpact Recycling, both plastic and paper, since August 2000.
“In Women’s Month South Africa pays special tribute to the women of the country and Mpact Recycling is, more than ever, encouraging women to seize the opportunities that recycling presents for them to create successful businesses and careers,” said John Hunt, MD of Mpact Recycling.
Having recently qualified as a teacher, Feleza, from Terenure, began her career in the recycling industry in the 1990s.
Feleza, who at the time was unemployed and without work experience, realised she would have to do something on her own to earn an income. She identified recycling as a ready-made business opportunity, where she could prove herself through hard work, without needing prior experience.
“Looking for something that could sustain me in life, I started with Mpact Recycling, selling paper and cardboard to them. Recycling needs only you and your understanding of the business,” she explained.
With her increasing knowledge of the recycling industry and successes in the business, she longed to grow further by acquiring a buy-back centre.
“I also wished to share my knowledge with society and in this way to create jobs for the unemployed.”
She acquired a facility in August 2000 with assistance from Mpact Recycling. Today, with 11 employees in her business, she looks back with satisfaction at the road to success, even though it was not always easy.
“Mpact Recycling was so supportive of me, as I was new to the business,” she said. ”I would sometimes get stuck with cash flow, or collections, or even key management principles for running the business, but Mpact always assisted me through the hard times.
”I look at any challenge today as a lesson on the road to success. It took about a year to establish the business and learn the ropes of recycling. Every day there is something new and it is a lot of fun.”
Mpact provided her with the necessary equipment, like containers for the recyclable materials, initially paper and cardboard, and now PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles and liquid packaging cartons, as well as the trolleys used by her collectors, who, Feleza indicates, are her “best customers”, to collect from different places where they can find recyclables.
Mpact, along with Feleza’s mentor, Desmond Moloisi from Small Business Support, assisted her in finding an appropriate location for the buy-back centre.
The centre’s business has grown to a point where it collects anywhere from 120 to 150 tonnes a month and Feleza says starting the business and coping with growth has not been without challenges.
Nonetheless, going into business for yourself is something she heartily recommends other women consider.
“Managing this business has improved me in many ways, like dealing with challenges and managing tolerance levels when dealing with different individuals,” she said.
”I have learned to work with a variety of people from different walks of life. If you start a business, make sure you are doing what you love, so as to be able to withstand the difficulties and challenges inherent in any business. Be focused and put all your efforts into your business. Trust yourself in whatever you do.”
Feleza said the support she has received from Mpact Recycling has been invaluable in this regard, enabling her to focus her efforts on growing the business and creating jobs within her local community.
Hunt said the firm encourages many more women to emulate the success of Feleza. “Earlier this year we opened a new R350-million state-of-the-art polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling operation in Wadeville, Germiston, which will enable a greater volume of PET bottles to be recycled, thereby creating new business opportunities,” he explained.
