INEOS Trash 4 Treats aims to demonstrate to young learners from low-income households that recyclable waste has value. It motivates them to keep their environment clean in return for rewards through games, educational videos and a colourful recycling mascot, Trashy. The project pairs schools with local waste collectors who buy back the waste collected on-site, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that benefits the community.
“Not only are we encouraging learners to care for the environment from a young age, but we also hope to plant the seeds for circular economies in the communities that we reach. When the learners start receiving rewards, they are driven to recycle more and can share their learnings with family and friends,” says Ursula Heath, Communications Manager at INEOS. “Behaviour change can be achieved through a combination of education, recognition and reward,” she adds.
Teachers at each school also receive pre-awareness hampers with food items in glass, metal, paper and plastic packaging to demonstrate the different types of substrates that can be recycled. Bags of different colours are provided to learners to sort their recyclable waste and place it in the bins provided at school. The project makes use of edutainment in the form of an audiovisual presentation and a magician who performs magic tricks using packaging to teach recycling and launch the competition at each school.
To date, the project has engaged with 33,000 learners and recycled 22,000kg of waste. “Based on the successes already achieved, we are keen to find South African partners to help us expand our impact even further,” says Heath. “The opportunity offers a viable solution for organisations looking to become compliant with the Extended Producer Responsibility legislation, which will come into effect later this year, and allows them to help inspire the responsible consumers of the future,” she concludes.
For more information on the project or details on how to get involved, contact Shilpa on +27 11 447 0427 or az.oc.doogtod@aplihS.
Issued by cause marketing agency, dotGOOD.
