The Pick n Pay School Club team recently handed pencil bags over to Grade 4 learners at Groendal Primary and Wemmershoek Primary schools in Franschhoek. Made from recycled plastic bottles, the bags aim are a visual way of showing learners how plastic packaging can be repurposed if they recycle.
The initiative aims to provide pencil bags made entirely from recycled plastic water bottles to primary school learners across South Africa in the hopes of educating future generations on the importance of sustainability while having an immediate positive environmental impact. It has reached 35 000 learners this year.
Since the initiative began in 2021, more than 101 000 learners have received one of these popular accessories for school. This means 101 000 recycled plastic bottles have been removed from the environment and upcycled to make these pencil bags.
During the handovers at more than 200 schools, the learners are educated on how valuable plastic can be if appropriately recycled, and educational posters have been created showing how these pencil cases have been made. A thousand pencil bags have also been donated to CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa, which provides free comprehensive support to families of children with cancer and life threatening blood disorders.
Andre Nel, General Manager: Sustainability at Pick n Pay, says that the pencil bags are a beautiful and practical accessory for learners to store their stationery, but it also promotes environmentally sustainable behaviour. Each pencil bag is made from one 500 ml recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate – known as rPET) water bottle – the type of plastic typically used to make plastic bottles and other packaging, such as food and household goods containers.
“Promoting recycling among the youth encourages them to conserve resources and reduce the amount of plastic waste in our oceans, landfills or the environment,” said Nel. “By giving these pencil bags to school children, we teach them about the importance of recycling and practically demonstrate the benefits of a circular economy whereby plastic can be used again and again if recycled.”
Pick n Pay School Club is one of South Africa’s leading educational platforms, reaching over 3 280 schools and over 2 million learners. The initiative is a remarkable example of how public and private partnerships can positively impact society by educating and inspiring future generations to care for the environment.
