Reaching out a sustainable hand of comfort to the needy

Can you believe that recycled bottles could turn into warm bedding for those in need? Well, it can, and it does.

Legacy Project is a heart-warming initiative that reaches out a caring and comforting hand to challenged communities, and especially also to children.

It was developed as part of the ten year birthday celebrations of the PET Recycling Company (Pty) Limited (PETCO).

PETCO had quilts manufactured from recycled PET fabric and recycled PET batting. The fabric and batting are made from repurposed bottles that were collected and processed in South Africa, together with project partners Propet and Romatex. The quilts can be folded into a pillow with a pouch, and will be suitable specifically for the homeless and those with very limited living spaces.

The first batch of these unique quilts made specifically for charitable purposes, are being donated to organisations that run swop shops in the Western Cape.

“The two organisations identified are supported by hundreds of women and children in disadvantaged communities, who bring recyclables (mainly PET bottles) in exchange for tokens that can be used at the swop shops to ‘buy’ essentials. The quilts will be an attractive offering at those swop shops, and come in time for the festive season,” explains Lisa Parkes, Marketing Manager of PETCO.

In due course the quilts will also be made available to swop shops and other similar channels in other parts of the country.

The second batch of quilts will be smaller items. These will be specifically suited to children, and will be donated to Operation Smile South Africa for inclusion in the ‘goody bags’ children receive after their surgeries. The organisation provides free surgery to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities in children. They work throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

The Legacy Project honours 10 years of achievement, highlight the value of PET and its end markets, and acknowledges PETCO’s role as part of a larger community.

“We want to contribute in a tangible way to show that we care about our communities. The project represents caring combined with conscience,” says Parkes. “We are demonstrating that recycling and repurposing of recycled materials has far-reaching implications. Not only does recycling protect natural resources and address some of the issues relating to landfill use, but the repurposed materials are in themselves valuable - and in a case like this, can put a smile on the face of a needy child.”