The partners aim to increase awareness of the importance of recycling among schoolgoers, as well as about the importance of collective responsibility to protect our environment.

The 'Recycle Carton' campaign, which aims to encourage learners to take on the responsibility of recycling, will run in over 250 schools across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape between September and November 2024, according to the partners.

According to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Global Waste Management Outlook 2024, there is urgent need to enhance recycling rates as a critical strategy to reduce the volume of solid waste ending up in landfills, which contributes to environmental degradation and resource depletion.

To this end, Masale Manoko, sustainability manager at Tetra Pak Southern Africa, has emphasised the importance of developing platforms to support the entire value chain in driving effective collection and recycling in South Africa.

"We are committed to increasing awareness through increased educational activities on carton collection and collaboration with our partners Orange Grove, RFG Foods, Woodlands Dairy is key to the success of a programme of this scale," adds Mankoko.

Sue Durham, Orange Grove's sales and marketing director, says, "Our future is a shared one, which translates into shared responsibility from businesses down to community development. Engaging young ones in the recycling process and explaining the positive impact on our planet can solidify these values." 

"Parents, teachers and caregivers play a crucial role in shaping their children's environmental values. By consistently modelling recycling behaviours at school and home, we at Rhodes Quality, RFG Foods' flagship brand, believe we can help foster a keen sense of environmental responsibility in children," says Job Mpele, commercial director at RFG Foods.

Marisa Maccaferri, Woodlands Dairy's marketing executive, says, "We have a responsibility in helping to reduce our footprint on the environment by increasing the awareness of the critical importance of recycling." 

The Petco Award-winning Recycle Carton School Competition runs from Sunday, 1 September to Friday, 29 November and aims to educate learners on the importance of sorting, collecting and recycling waste, according to the partners.

The school children will also learn that recycled cartons can be made into a variety of products, including:

  • pallets
  • benches
  • roof tiles
  • desks, and
  • outdoor furniture.

The partners add that this is evidence of the benefits of recycling cartons.

The winning schools in each region (Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal) will each win R25 000 to be put towards school equipment plus 40 desks made from recycled Tetra Pak packaging.

The second prize will be R10 000, and the third prize will be R5 000. In addition, the top collecting school in each region will be able to nominate one underprivileged school each of their choice to win an additional 40 desks made from recycled packaging, the partners say. 

Manoko says, "As part of the learning programme, Tetra Pak will be running sessions focusing on recycling of beverage cartons. Learners will have an opportunity to take part in lessons about what recycling is, how to separate waste, how to recycle, what can be made from recycled LBP, waste pollution and its effect on the population, and how to identify recycling symbols."

"The roadshow will take place between Tuesday, 10 September and Friday, 18 October in the participating four provinces," adds Manoko. 

Earlier in 2024, Tetra Pak was honoured with a Petco Award for its outstanding environmental education and awareness efforts for the Recycle Carton School Competition, which took place in 2023.

The competition engaged 20 429 learners from 22 schools across the Eastern Cape, leading to the collection of an impressive 273 482 cartons of waste. The expansion of the 2024 campaign will allow Tetra Pak and its customers, Orange Grove, RFG Foods and Woodlands Dairy to significantly increase these statistics, the partners conclude. 

For more information, visit www.tetrapak.com. You can also follow Tetra Pak® on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor