ROTARY RECYCLING PROJECT SPREADS TO ST FRANCIS BAY -      LYN AITKEN

 Following on the enormous success the Jeffreys Bay Rotary Club have had with their Recycling Project in Pellsrus, the St Francis Bay Satellite Club will launch the same concept in Sea Vista in January 2012.

“There is a lot to be done before then,” said St Francis Bay Rotary club chairman, Tracy de Jager. “and we are calling on the St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Sea Vista communities to support us.”
“Firstly we need a team of committed volunteers to help us run the project each week. Shopping day at the Recycle Swop Shop will be on Friday afternoons and the shop will be situated in a safe environment in the Talhado Children’s Haven complex.

“In addition Rotary are appealing to all local businesses such as restaurants, guest house and B&B’s to assist us by starting to collect their recyclable materials right away. Please let us know if you want to participate so that we can arrange for regular collections. Rotary will be paid for this recycling material by Green Guardian, our recycling partner, and the funds raised from this will go towards keeping the Recycle Swop Shop stocked,” said de Jager.

“The concept has become so successful because it offers children from communities which are most in need an opportunity to assist themselves and their families through collecting recyclable materials and in so doing improve their environment,” she added.

“Sea Vista’s children will be able to participate by collecting recyclable glass, cans, cardboard and plastic to be weighed once a week on our shopping day.  The children will be awarded tokens or “mulas” according to the weight of their collection which they can then spend in the Recycle Swop Shop.”

The Recycle Swop Shops typically stock every day household items and school materials. The most popular items have proven to be toilet paper, toothpaste and soap, two minute noodles, oats, tea, soap powder, pencils and notebooks. “From this we can see that the children are purchasing food and other everyday items to help their families make ends meet and to equip themselves for school,” said de Jager.

Volunteers keen to assist or donate should call Tracy de Jager on 0833886296, e-mail sfbrotary@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook at stfrancisrotary@groups.facebook.com.

 This project is based on the Recycle Shop Swop concept created and developed by Marilyn van Velden. Similar projects are running in Hermanus, Botrivier, Gansbaai, Knysna and Jeffreys Bay (www.swop-shop.za.net)