The Jbay Recycling Project, a community programme situated in Pellsrus, received a R70 000 donation from the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm. The project was established in January 2011 and assists school-aged children to provide for their basic needs by exchanging recyclable materials like glass, paper, plastic and metal for items like toiletries, food, stationery, school uniforms, clothes and toys in a ‘swop shop’. Aptly called ‘turning trash into treasure’, over 3,000 black children have participated and more than 250 tonnes of recyclable material has been collected since the Project’s inception.
The project is operated from the community centre in Sarah Baartman Avenue, Pellsrus and serves children of Jeffreys Bay aged between 5 and 16 years. The best part is that all children are welcome and they get to choose their own goods, as adults are not permitted into the shop!
This unique community programme teaches children a number of essential values about the worth of recyclable goods, saving their Moola’s, trading, independence and self worth
These much needed funds were dedicated to stocking the swop shop with some high-value items to encourage local community children to save, recycle and ultimately be more aware of their environment.
Items such as sports equipment, including balls, bats, skateboards and art supplies, which are not usually available due to the Project’s limited budget, can now be purchased with the funds earned from recyclable goods.
