THE term, “waste not, want not”, is taken seriously by these two Port Elizabeth brothers. And that is why Donavan van Zyl, 34, and Quinten van Zyl, 29, started EP Waste Management in Newton Park. They might only have been in the waste game for two years, but their passion to succeed is evident for all to see.
The siblings bought Waste Management, which was established in 1998, two years ago.
Using their own finances, they rebranded the company and managed to grow it from 12 clients to 86. This equates to a growth of almost 750% in the past two years.
Donavan was born in Ema-pangeni, Kwa-Zulu-Natal in 1981, and Quinten five years later in Pinetown.
They moved to Nelson Mandela Bay in 1995 before matriculating from Daniel Pienaar Tech High School in Uitenhage.
Quinten furthered his studies at Varsity College, where he studied Information Technology and also worked for financial services company, Momentum. Donavan never attended a tertiary institution, but did in-service training at refrigeration company, Gren co South Africa.
He also spent a few years overseas working for industrial and commercial refrigeration companies. The brothers, who also live in Newton Park, have always loved the outdoors.
And it was for this reason, along with the fact that landfills were running out of space, that they started their business. Most of what they know about the waste industry was a self-taught exercise.
Today, some of their clients are household names such as Caltex Summerstrand, the Humewood Hotel and Vodacom. They are one of the only companies pushing the recycling agenda as they look to turn over a new leaf in the world of waste.
“I took the idea of recycling and researched all the different products and avenues that can be tackled in the realm of recycling and it just took off from there,” Donavan said.
“As far as our knowledge goes, there aren’t many companies pushing for the recycling of waste.
“They are more into the business of collecting waste and getting rid of it.” EP Waste Management focuses on customer needs. Services range from waste minimisation to collection, treatment and disposal, on-site waste management, recycling and industrial cleaning.
They also encourage the reuse of materials made from recycled products.
This continues the recycling process with their goal being to create and leave behind an environmental awareness legacy.
“We want to create awareness about recycling and its importance to the environment,” Quinten said.