Recycling has become a buzzword in recent years, as more and more people become aware of the fact that we have to take better care of our natural resources. Jbay Recycling Project, however, has been doing their bit for the past 10 years. Joané Azenha spoke to project co-ordinator, Tanja Lategan, to find out exactly how it is that they serve the community.
This project started after a presentation at the local Rotary Club, by Marilyn van der Velde from Hermanus.
Van der Velde heads up a similar project there, and a few ladies from Jeffreys Bay Rotary were so taken with the idea that they could help the community and help the environment at the same time, they immediately started talks on how to start a project along the same lines.
Talks quickly gave way to actions and they officially held their first recycling day in 2011.
Lategan explained, “Children are given the opportunity to collect recyclable material and sort them into bags of paper, plastic, glass or metal (tins). After collecting their materials the children may bring their trash to the project to swop for proverbial treasure. Every bag of waste material is carefully weighed by volunteers; the weight of the recycling and the names and details of the children are recorded and children are then awarded a certain number of tokens, which are called Mula. They are then able to enter the shop, where they are, again, assisted by a volunteer to swop their Mula for items that they need or want.”
Items available in the store include perishable and non-perishable food items, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, school uniforms, other clothing items, stationery and toys.
This project is incredibly successful, as they manage to serve about 300 children every Monday.
According to Lategan, they have served more than 7 000 children in the past 10 years and this translates to about 600 tons of recycled material.
The recycled materials are sold to a local recycling company and cover a small percentage of the costs of the items they sell. The rest are sourced from private donors, as well as companies, who contribute towards their funding.
“The heart of the project is to help these children by teaching them to respect their environment and to use things they have around them to get what they need.
“Children are able to get school items, as well as help to feed their families, through the simple act of helping to clean up their streets,” said Lategan.
“The self-confidence gained from working for something they want, but would normally not be able to afford, such as bicycles or soccer boots, is invaluable. Though it takes a lot of Mula to get one of these coveted items, children learn valuable skills such as counting, how to save money (Mula) and working towards a goal.”
Jbay Recycling Project only operates on Mondays, when the schools are open. Lategan said that they were always in need of dedicated volunteers to help at the project, with things like weighing the materials, reading the scales or helping the children in the store.
Anyone willing to help can contact her on 084 684 6771. Visit their website at www.jbayrecyclingproject.org/ for more information on what they do.
