Johannesburg’s favourite public park, Zoo Lake, is getting a big and bold recycling campaign to encourage its users to protect the park’s natural beauty and environment. Polyco, in partnership with the City of Joburg, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo and the Zoo Lake Users Committee, has launched the Million Plus Plastic Recycling Revolution in Zoo Lake. When visiting Zoo Lake, visitors will notice new park tables and benches made from recycled plastic, new recycling bins, a newly fenced off waste depot and a large photo frame for park-goers to take snaps at and share their commitment to recycling on social media.
The launch of Million Plus in Zoo Lake will also be supported by frequent public activations, recycling competitions, and spot prizes to encourage park goers to recycle their waste and keep the park clean. The recyclable waste that is collected will be sold to Wastreprenuers, a local waste collection company, and the Zoo Lake Users Committee will use these funds to continue to upgrade and protect the park.
“Zoo Lake is a popular weekend destination for many. It is a recreational public space that often has a concentration of people, especially over weekends. With its popularity, comes the accumulation of waste and litter, which is unfortunately not often recycled,” says Nicola Rowe, Brand Manager at Polyco. “Noticing that much of the waste generated at the park is recyclable, we knew that the Million Plus recycling campaign would be the right public initiative to get park-goers to recycle their waste.”
Polyco’s Million Plus campaign draws on the power of networks. It is an initiative that aims to get at least one million people to commit to recycle their plastic waste. If every person that recycles encourages just one more person to start recycling, the commitment to recycling in South Africa will spread from a small minority of people to mass action, and a cleaner environment for all.
To make this concept a reality, Polyco partnered with the City of Joburg, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, the Zoo Lake Users Committee and the cause marketing agency, [dot]GOOD who has employed a waste sorter to collect recycling from the bins and sort the contents before it is bought. “This system will also show parks’ users that their recyclable waste has value,” says Fran Haslam, Managing Director of the Zoo Lake Users Committee.“ All revenue generated from the sale of the recyclable waste will go back into park upgrades. We are calling on all residents to support this initiative to by bringing their recyclables to the depot opposite the bowls club parking lot.”
The campaign will also track the public’s change in behaviour towards recycling by measuring the weight of recyclables that are collected, and ultimately tracking how much waste is diverted from landfill.
To find out more about Polyco’s Million Plus campaign follow the Million Plus on Facebook and Instagram @millionplusrecyclers and to sign up as a recycling revolutionary, visit the website www.millionplusrecyclers.co.za. Complete the sign-up form to state your commitment to recycle all your plastics. Do not forget to encourage friends and family to join the revolution.
To find out more about Polyco, visit their website www.polyco.co.za
