Local Schools recognised for their impressive Recycling efforts
On the 23rd of April the Wildlands Conservation Trust, a leading environmental non-profit organization, hosted an awards ceremony for several representatives from some 89 local schools, at Russell High School in Pietermaritzburg, to recognise and reward their recycling efforts of 2013. These schools contribute towards Wildland’s “Recycling for Life” project.
While addressing the guests, Louise Duys, Director of Partnerships, Sustainability and Marketing at Wildlands said, “In 2010 when we started this project we only had 3 schools recycling with us and collectively recycled around 900kg’s of recyclable waste…four years later our database includes 89 schools with collections of more than 719 687kg’s.”
Duys commended the schools for their participation and support of the project, “I look at you and I see ‘angels of change’ and this is merely because you are changing mindsets and raising consciousness that waste is not just litter, but something of value,” said Duys.
Third prize was awarded to Epworth High School who collected 35 815kg’s, second prize went to St John’s DSG for their collection of 41 548kg’s of recyclable waste and first prize (by a long stretch) went to Deccan Road Primary for their collection of an impressive 50 917kg’s of recycling in 2013. Deccan Road has held the first place title since the project started in 2010!
The reward for each schools recycling efforts comes in the form of a financial rebate based on the value of the waste collected. Deccan Road Primary Principal, Mr. Siva Gounden, was handed a cheque valued at R23 337.
“With the funds we have received from our recycling we are contributing towards the building a facility at our school inclusive of a library, classrooms and a staff room,” said Gounden. “This allows the community and the school to see a tangible reward for their waste collecting efforts. It helps motivate children as well as their family members to collect more recyclable waste,” said Gounden.
Deccan Road believes their secret to success is the fact that they also allocate days of the week to different grades and run inter-class competitions which motivates waste collection. “We would like to thank Wildlands and the Deccan Road community for their amazing support thus far,” he added.
Amongst the school representatives at the Awards was a learner from Cowan House, Eco-monitor Connor Holdsworth -“I enjoy doing what we do at school and it does not end there because we even recycle at home for the good of our environment.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)