From "optional" to "community habit": changing recycling behaviour among our future generation

Creating ad hoc initiatives is, however, not enough if we want to influence current behaviour and ensure that recycling becomes common practice among future generations. This has been the key motivating factor for the Schools Recycling Programme.

As a company that relies on used bottles making their way back into the recycling chain in order to minimise our carbon footprint and environmental impact, it was imperative for CCBSA to find a sustainable way to recover post-consumer waste. It was also important that the recovery process was supported by education to ensure long-term environmental awareness and protection, especially for future generations. And so, the Schools Recycling Programme (SRP) was started.

Learnings to share

Five years later, we have a number of important learnings we’re able to share. The first is that schools and recycling make for an exceptionally good fit. By gearing your initiative to provide a learning experience for everyone involved, you can entrench the basic principles of recycling, as well as a commitment to sustainability, resource conservation and environmental stewardship. This needs to be done by encouraging positive action that is rewarded. In our case, participating schools have the opportunity to raise funds for important school projects through the initiative. Each has to commit to collecting a minimum of 1,000kg of PET per month, with schools that collect two tons or more standing in line to win prizes in our annual competition. All schools earn continuously as they collect though – creating a direct revenue stream from selling the waste.

The schools’ earning ability ensures that learners and teachers take the initiative “home” – looking for additional sources of waste they can contribute. That being said, it can be difficult to maintain excitement and momentum year after year. This is why CCBSA subsequently added another layer to its SRP - through its Recycling Representatives. These young members of local communities are employed on a full-time basis and assigned to a number of local schools in their area. Through school visits and engagements, they encourage the ongoing performance of the learners and teachers; keeping them motivated to collect and recycle as they get closer to the annual competition. They’re paid for their efforts and learn valuable business skills in the process through a formal training process.

Creating a close loop system

With about 492,695 learners already involved in the programme, the programme collected 645 tonnes in 2015. We do however realise that we still have a long way to go in terms of ultimately creating a closed loop system for all of our bottles. As such, we will continue setting ourselves new goals and milestones in partnership with local communities so that the SRP grows from strength to strength. We are confident that this approach will create positive recycling habits among current and future generations of South Africans – and, in so doing, ensure a greener future for all of us.