Learners challenged to recycle for their schools to win

The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) has announced the comeback of The Ultimate School Recycling Challenge competition that not only showers local schools with prizes but is also a great benefit to the environment.

The challenge, according to the recycling company’s chief executive officer Shabeer Jhetam began on February 1, however, there are still chances for schools to participate.

“We aim to increase packaging glass recycling efforts while creating a means of educating youth and the general public about the importance of recycling glass. Further, the participating schools are also able to play a crucial role in increasing the collection of glass for recycling. This, in turn, helps us to empower an environmentally conscious generation, increase recycling awareness among the general public, and ultimately achieve increased glass recycling volumes.”

Jhetam said they host the competition every year because there is a need to educate incoming learners to be more environmentally conscious as outgoing learners take with them the culture of caring for the environment.

“We started this competition 12 years ago, which means those learners that were initially exposed to the competition have now become environmentally conscious adults. For our communities to maintain a positive culture of glass recycling, we must ensure that the competition is consistently rolled out year after year. Participating schools look forward to the competition as learners are eager to win prizes for their schools.

“In participating in the competition, learners experience a sense of accomplishment while making a positive impact on the environment. Their passion for recycling glass is exactly what motivates us to continue the competition every year. We’re thrilled that more schools are taking part in the competition every year, proving their commitment to promoting sustainability and creating a greener South Africa.

The schools that took part in the contest last year collected 246 642 kg of glass, which is equivalent to the weight of 61 adult elephants, according to Jhetam, “That works out to an incredible 739 926 glass bottles and jars. Because of this, we are confident that this year’s glass recycling totals will be much higher.”

He said they are switching things up a little bit this year.

“Students, teachers, and communities will join forces to recycle as many glass bottles and jars as they can in order to compete for the cash prizes totalling R440 000,00 in this years competition. Additionally, monthly and annual awards will also be up for grabs. To further strengthen the community’s commitment to recycling, the top three schools in each participating region will be rewarded with additional cash incentives at the competition’s completion.

“We are thrilled about this since it will make the competition more exciting throughout the year. Another benefit of the prize money is the financial support it provides to schools from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Since some schools participating in the competition are located in disadvantaged communities, the prize money helps to empower them, ultimately fostering a positive environment for learning.”

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