In South Africa there is much to do to curtail littering, minimise waste and educate communities on how to live and practice the 3 R's - reducing, re-using and recycling of waste.

Plastics|SA, in collaboration with others, is driving projects and programmes to do just that. One such project is the Cleanup and Recycle Competition which has been a highlight in the school timetable since 2006.

The strategic goal of the Cleanup & Recycle Competition is to raise awareness of litter in the environment in South Africa and encourage people to proactively make a difference. The competition aims to reach learners from grassroots level through to primary and high school levels. This year they have also added a special category for organisations and businesses wishing to enter.  Waste minimization is a matter of national concern and now everyone can participate in this competition.

What you need to do

For Grad R to 1 learners, worksheets can be downloaded here. Older learners must tell the organisers about a CLEAN-UP or RECYCLING EVENT or both, that they have co-ordinated and monitored in their area.

They need to:

1. Organise or support an exciting CLEAN-UP and/or RECYCLING event at:

• A school or community
• A river or dam
• A beach cleanup

2. Draw up a marketing and action plan of their clean-up campaign
3. Involve fellow educators, learners, the community, municipality, business, media
4. Send a report on the clean-up campaign

• Report must be maximum  10 pages long
• Include photos (before/after/event)
• Information on who and how many participated (educators, learners, community)

If the RECYCLING Event is included, they need to also:

• Identify and list  the different types of plastics collected for recycling (web)
• What type of new products could be manufactured from the different types of  recycled plastics (web)
• Where possible, make contact with the local recyclables collector or recycler to support their Recycling Day.

Now business can participate too

Category 4 calls on companies to enter their recycling initiatives and stand a chance of winning a laptop for the company!

Sponsors have included PFSA, Enviromark , eWasa , ITA, PSPC, PETCO, Buyisa-e-Bag, Pick n Pay, SABC Education, 50/50; Miss Earth; Axis, SABC Education and the Ocean Conservancy.

Click here to download the entry form.The closing date for entries is 30 September.

For more info, head over to