Orange Farm entrepreneur Tumelo Morolo has been named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2026 PETCO Awards, earning national recognition for turning waste into jobs, income and cleaner communities.
Morolo, founder of Morolo Recycling, was honoured for building a seven-year-old recycling initiative that collects, sorts and buys recyclable plastics, paper and electronics. According to PETCO’s website, the business now serves about 1,500 households from two sites and diverted 600 tonnes of recyclables from landfill last year.
The PETCO Awards recognise excellence in reuse, recycling and waste minimisation in the packaging sector, while celebrating people and organisations making a difference in South Africa’s collection and recycling industry.
Morolo said the award followed PETCO’s support, which included equipment that helped strengthen his business and bring wider attention to its work.
“It is inspiring and encouraging to win the award because we did not know we could be recognised in this way,” said Morolo.
He started the initiative in 2017 with only R300, after seeing waste piling up in the streets and deciding to become part of the solution.
“We started by picking up waste from the streets and later began buying from other waste pickers. The biggest challenge was that people did not understand that waste has value. Many looked down on us, so we had to teach them about the importance of recycling,” he said.
The initiative has since created 13 full-time jobs and supports more than 100 informal waste pickers, while helping to keep streets clean.
“Our biggest achievement is keeping the streets clean and creating jobs,” Morolo said.
In a statement published on PETCO’s website, marketing manager Kara Rohleder said the awards shine a light on practical environmental work happening in communities.
“These awards matter because they show what’s actually happening on the ground, done by real people, in communities across South Africa,” said Rohleder.
She said PETCO hoped the awards would encourage consumers to recycle and inspire others to start similar projects where they live and work.
For Morolo, the achievement is a push to expand his impact.
“This achievement means we need to pick up more waste, up our game and keep pushing,” he said.
His next goal is to partner with waste producers in Orange Farm, including schools, offices, shops and waste pickers. He also hopes to secure branding support for school-to-school recycling activations.
Morolo believes recycling still needs stronger regulation and support, as much of the sector remains informal.
His message to young entrepreneurs is to start with what they have.
“If you want to start your own business, find a problem and a solution you can use to solve it. Start with what you have and start today,” he said.
Morolo thanked PETCO for supporting young entrepreneurs, saying continued backing can help community businesses grow and create lasting change.
