Interwaste, a renowned local trash management company, has renamed its Tops to Tags campaign, which has been running since 2011, to Give2Green. The drive would encourage businesses, schools, and community initiatives to send in aluminium cans, bottle tops, and white office paper to make sanitary pads or wheelchairs, which will then be handed to needy people.
According to the Give2Green project, the recycled waste will entitle the participant to give a specific quantity of free sanitary pads or a wheelchair to a charity or recipient of their choice, like 50kgs of aluminium cans corresponding to 60 packs of sanitary pads. Bread tags, however, are no longer part of this scheme; for every 250kgs of bottle tops or white office paper handed in, 60 packages of sanitary pads will be supplied.
{alcircleadd}
"The Tops to Tags programme, which has been a resounding success, saw us donate over 1 000 wheelchairs to worthy recipients as well as divert over 400 tons of waste from landfill disposal.
However, to align with changing market needs and evolving waste legislation and, of course, the need to be at the forefront of promoting women's health, education and empowerment to improve the lives of women and girls in our country, we have taken the next step in this journey," said says Rajas Pillay, human resources director at Interwaste.
"We believe that Women's Month is a perfect time to launch Give2Green — a month where we not only highlight women's triumphs but their barriers as well. Access to sanitary pads is one such barrier. For too many women and girls, the lack of access to sanitary pads has led to absenteeism in schools and at work, which affects their education and income-generating activities — all of which has a negative impact on overall economic participation," added Pillay.
Gather as many bottle caps, aluminium cans, and white office paper as possible. Deliver to Interwaste branches between 8:00 and 12:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Weighing will take place at the Interwaste depots. If everything is in order and stock is available, the pads or wheelchairs may be picked up within two weeks.
Wheelchairs may still be provided by recycling either 500kgs of plastic bottle tops, 120kgs of aluminium cans, or 550kgs of white office paper. Several nationwide Interwaste drop-off locations where recyclable products may be dropped off are given below:
"We believe that through adding the donation of sanitary pads to the Give2Green programme, we can help remove an economic barrier for so many women and allow them to allocate their limited resources to other much-needed necessities while still focusing on our core business of waste management and the encouragement of a circular economy. By embarking on this initiative to facilitate environmental sustainability and socio-economic upliftment, we can collectively make a difference," concludes Pillay.
Responses
