PLASTIC GETS A SECOND CHANCE AT EERSTE RIVER SCHOOL

In Cape Town, at the Axios School of Skills in Eerste River has received 20 new green desks made of recycled plastic wrappers.

The Polyolefin Recycling Company (Polyco) created 20 desks that were made of 50kg of chocolate wrappers, sweet packets and waste collected from Two Ocean Marathon last year. They are practically indestructible and will replace the steel tables and hall chairs that learners currently use.

The school's principal, Llewellyn Kohler, expressed his excitement about the partnership with the non-profit organisation and said the project tied in well with recycling initiatives at the school.

"We have a paper and metal recycling programme, and we also rework pallets to build furniture. We began manufacturing desks in our workshops after I discovered that we had a shortage of desks.

"We are a recycling school. We also recycle learners who are lost in the mainstream schooling system. We bring them here," Kohler quipped.

Polyco's chief executive, Mandy Naudé, said the project was created while the company was trying to figure out a way to increase recycling in South Africa. It also hoped to educate the public about recycling and cleaning up the environment.

"This was the perfect project, it met those requirements and the desk shortage at schools. Used packaging can be made into something new, it has a forever life.

"This is the first school, and there are another 13 nationally where we will give 20 double desks per school," said Naudé.

Naudé encouraged everyone to separate their recyclables from their trash as she said they could be used for a good cause.