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Brand’s award-winning drive to change lives

  • Staff Reporter
4 min read
Rorisang Tolomane (3) and his delighted mother, Lebone, show the difference that Operation Smile makes in delivering free surgical interventions for children born with cleft conditions. The public can support the organisation’s fundraising efforts by collecting and donating their used plastic bottle tops, which are recycled for use in Tuffy’s black refuse bags.
HAPPY SMILES: Rorisang Tolomane (3) and his delighted mother, Lebone, show the difference that Operation Smile makes in delivering free surgical interventions for children born with cleft conditions. The public can support the organisation’s fundraising efforts by collecting and donating their used plastic bottle tops, which are recycled for use in Tuffy’s black refuse bags. Picture: Supplied

A new award-winning drive by a South African household brand is simultaneously changing the lives of people in need while helping keep plastic out of the environment.

Refuse bag manufacturer Tuffy’s “tough enough to care” campaign, which began appearing on supermarket shelves nationwide in September, encourages the public to collect plastic bottle tops that would normally end up in the bin and instead donate them to non-profit organisations Operation Smile South Africa or the Sweethearts Foundation.

By selling the collected bottle tops to plastic recycler Myplas, the two non-profit organisations raise funds to deliver cleft surgeries and wheelchairs to South Africans in underserved and rural communities who do not have access to specialist medical care.

Driving demand for this recycled bottle top material, Tuffy now purchases over 20 tonnes of raw material a month to add to the mix in manufacturing its 100% recycled black refuse bags.

Tuffy’s efforts were recently recognised by the South African Plastics Recycling Organisation, which awarded the brand gold in the post-consumer resin demand champion category at the 2026 SAPRO Awards.

The new campaign aims to bolster support for children and adults nationwide who are given life-changing support by Operation Smile South Africa and the Sweethearts Foundation – beneficiaries like three-year-old Rorisang Tolomane of Potchefstroom, who is all smiles after undergoing life-changing corrective surgery for a bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Tuffy’s Business Unit Lead, Rory Murray, holds up the brand’s new-look product labelling showing its “Tough Enough to Care” campaign. It encourages consumers to collect and donate their used bottle tops, which – while helping people in need – are also used to produce new, fully recycled and recyclable bin bags.
CLOSING THE LOOP: Tuffy’s Business Unit Lead, Rory Murray, holds up the brand’s new-look product labelling showing its “Tough Enough to Care” campaign. It encourages consumers to collect and donate their used bottle tops, which – while helping people in need – are also used to produce new, fully recycled and recyclable bin bags. Picture: Supplied

After Rorisang was born, a doctor referred his mother, Lebone, to Operation Smile at her local Potchefstroom Hospital. He had his first lip surgery in May last year, followed by a second surgery to fix his cleft palate earlier this year.

“I was over the moon,” said Lebone, adding that it marked the end of a long and difficult road and the beginning of a brighter future for her son. “Rorisang is developing very well, and he is now attending preschool with other children.”

Tuffy’s business unit lead, Rory Murray, said the brand’s campaign closes the loop on plastic bottle tops by giving them a second life in Tuffy’s products, while also improving the quality of life for many people.

“We’re excited to join forces with our partners that make this campaign possible and, in the process, helping two such deserving organisations. It proves that recycling works and can do good for the world around us in more ways than one!”

Operation Smile South Africa executive director Sarah Scarth said each bottle top collected was a powerful reminder that small actions could create extraordinary change.

“Each one represents a person choosing to make a difference in the life of a child they may never meet. For us, it reflects the generosity, compassion and collective spirit of South Africans working together.”

She said the campaign was an excellent way for schools, businesses, community groups and individuals to support a meaningful cause while promoting recycling and environmental awareness.

Sweethearts Foundation CEO Ashley Nel echoed her sentiments saying meaningful change did not always require large financial contributions.

“Sometimes, it simply starts with choosing not to throw something away. That bottle top could become part of a child’s first opportunity to attend school independently, an adult’s chance to return to work, or to move through life with dignity again.”

Nel said partnerships like this “show the incredible impact that can be unlocked when organisations, businesses and communities work together toward a shared purpose. Environmental action and social impact should not exist separately. When combined, they create sustainable change that benefits both people and planet.”

Murray added that the product range had been tested since November last year and that it retained the same quality and integrity consumers had come to expect from the brand.

“Look out for our branded ‘Tough enough to care’ packs when doing your shopping, collect your bottle tops and help us deliver more smiles and mobility.”

For your nearest drop-off point visit:

● The Sweethearts Foundation - National Bottle Top Drop-off Points

● Operation Smile - Cape Town Bottle Top Drop-off Points