Cape Town: Innovation can rule out plastic pollution at schools and considering this, in recognition of Global Recycling Day on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Urban Waste Management Directorate of the City of Cape Town highlighted their mission to encourage young minds and their schools to help in reducing plastic pollution through creative, innovative, sustainable solutions.
Reportedly, an exhibition was also setup at the Cape Town Civic Centre to educate the public on waste management.
The Public Education and Awareness Team of the Urban Waste Management of the City of Cape Town visited the Westlake Primary School to discuss the important role of the school, learners and staff, which they played in protecting the environment for generations to come.
It was an interactive programme which was jam-packed with tips and reminders about reducing and diverting various kinds of waste from landfills.
During the event, the learners also saw first-hand how they can creatively use litter for functional purposes by creating eco-bricks. These building blocks are made with 2L bottles stuffed with litter packaging, such as packets of chips, lollipop sticks or packets and empty ice suckers.
These eco-bricks can be used to create furniture such as chairs, tables and book shelves that can be used by the learners and staff.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Waste Management – Alderman Grant Twigg said that as a city, they are constantly looking at various different ways to manage and reduce the waste in better way.
Twigg cleared that their society is burdened by waste so innovation and creativity are absolutely critical to reduce waste to the levels they need to remain sustainable.
The Urban Waste Management Team of the City of Cape Town with the anti-litter mascot Bingo are on a mission for all-year-round, driving enthusiasm for the environment and motivating the younger generation to dispose of the waste responsibly, to recycle and turn waste into opportunities that can benefit the schools and their children.
Grant Twigg stated that all of them has generated the waste so that all of them have the collective responsibility to manage it correctly and reduce it as much as possible, through initiatives such as recycling.
Urban Waste Management Team encouraged residents to check if they fall in the catchment of the kerbside of City of Cape Town recycling collection service, which is known as ‘Think Twice’. They can do this on the updated waste recycles map of the city.
The map also gave details of local recycling companies or initiatives that may be interested in the recyclables if don’t yet get benefits from the service of Cape Town. The residents are also reminded that the city drop offs are available to accept recyclables free of charge to the public.
There is a room for all of us, from the youngest to the seniors, to work together to protect the environment, said Alderman Grant Twigg.