Grade 1 pupils and their teachers of Kabega Primary proudly showing off their certificate and the picnic table they had won in the 2016 Plastics|SA schools’ competition
According to Douw Steyn, director of sustainability at Plastics|SA, the aim of this national competition is to educate and encourage schools, communities, businesses and organisations to play their part in cleaning up their immediate surroundings. “We have been running this national competition for the past 10 years as part of our annual Clean-up and Recycle SA activities. During this time, we have given away prizes to deserving schools for hosting various clean-up activities and being committed recyclers of their waste,” Steyn says.
Who can enter? The competition is open to primary and high schools as well as businesses or organisations around the country who are eager to initiate a clean-up or recycling activity in their area. By writing a short report about their activity, and sending in the photographs and information of what they have managed to accomplish, entrants stand a chance to win one of the following prizes:
| Prizes | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Primary school | R5 000 | R2 000 | R1 000 |
| High school | R5 000 | R2 000 | R1 000 |
| School: primary & high | 6-seater picnic table | Garden bench | Plastic recycling bin |
| Business/Organisation | 6-seater picnic table | Garden bench | Plastic recycling bin |
Entries for last year’s competition were received from around South Africa and were judged based on how many participants were involved in their respective projects and whether they managed to involve their community.
Enter now “We look forward to seeing new schools enter the competition this year and proving their worth as our eco-warriors of the future. There is wealth in waste and we want as many schools as possible to benefit from this competition that teaches pupils the importance of looking after their environment, whilst at the same time benefitting the school and their community,” Steyn concludes. The closing date for this year’s competition is 31 October 2017. Entry forms and competition rules can be downloaded from
www.cleanupandrecycle.co.za/competition . Entries will be judged during the first week of November and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
