LISTEN | Sani-touch saniwipes go green in a first for SA

Like hand sanitiser, the manufacturers of pre-saturated sanitising wipes have had a huge spike in demand for their products since the onset of the pandemic.

These wipes are an invaluable weapon in the fight to stop the spread of Covid-19, but as they tend to be made from single-use plastics, they contribute to another pandemic: pollution.

Infection Protection Products, manufacturers of the Sani-touch range of pre-saturated wipes, including the popular trolley wipes you are likely to have used at the supermarket, have proactively decided to do something about this.

In a first for SA, the company has introduced green saniwipes, which, though made of locally sourced polypropylene, have the benefit of being 100% recyclable.

“Plastics have proven themselves to be an ideal material for modern society: lightweight, strong, durable, cost-effective, versatile and — arguably most importantly — recyclable,” says Sani-touch marketing director Annette Devenish.

“For a while now plastic has been getting a bad rap. However, it’s a very different picture when plastic products are recycled and repurposed, becoming part of a closed loop in a circular economy.”

Sani-touch has prioritised this with the launch of its new green saniwipes. In collaboration with Shoprite Checkers, it’s trialling a system where the retailer sends the saniwipes used by customers on their trolleys and baskets back for recycling. 

These wipes will be recycled into plastic pallets intended to replace the wooden pallets used in factories.

“We’re excited about these pallets given that they are UV resistant, don’t rot, don’t absorb moisture and swell, and are a low fire risk. A plastic pallet has a much longer lifespan than a wooden pallet and has the benefit of being recyclable again, creating a virtuous and almost infinite circle,” says Devenish.

“We believe that no business can afford to pay only lip service to the concept of recycling. If we care about the world we live in, we all need to step up and play our part. Our solution is a simple, but a sustainable one, premised on creating a closed loop for used wipes.”

LISTEN | In this podcast, Devenish elaborates on the company’s mission to create a closed loop for its used green saniwipes and the need to change attitudes towards waste in SA:

This article was paid for by Sani-touch.