Collect-a-Can Artistic Expression competition winners
02 August 2010

Collect-a-Can’s Artistic Expression Competition which ran from 1 February to 31 May this year had learners from all over South Africa sending in some remarkable and creative artworks to represent the theme "Cans, in perfect harmony with nature".  Picking the winners from amongst these works was no easy task but after some deliberation Collect-a-Can selected the winners who received R1000, R500 and R250 respectively for first, second and third place in each category.
 
In the junior category (grade 0-7 learners) a group of learners from Refalletse Primary School in Orange Farm shared first place for their painting of the cycle of cans in a village, second place went to Yianni Ioannou of Kloof Senior Primary School in KZN and third place to Micaela Mclean from Seamount Primary School in the Western Cape.
 
In the senior category (grade 8-12 learners) Jeani Varty of Destinata School in Meyerton won first place for her painting of butterflies. Second place went to Leigh-Ann Peace of Parktown High School for Girls in Johannesburg and third place went to Madison Quayle of St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Kloof.
 

Caption Picture 1: The painting that won a group of learners from Refalletse Primary School in Orange Farm first prize in the junior category of Collect-a-Can’s Artistic Expression competition 2010.
 

Caption Picture 2: Jeani Varty with her winning entry in the senior category for Collect-a-Can’s Artistic Expression competition 2010.  Jeani interpreted this year’s theme of, "Cans, in perfect harmony with nature" by painting butterflies.
 
For more information about Collect-a-Can contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.
 

Schools go CAN crazy for Collect-a-Can competition
August 2010

Collect-a-Can’s annual CAN Craze competition commenced on 01 June 2010 and a number of schools are already hard at work putting together creative and innovative can structures that they will submit in their bid to win a share of the prize money that is on offer. Collect-a-Can has seen a number of highly inventive structures built for their CAN Craze competition over the years and it is hoped that this year will be no different. Schools have until 30 September to send in their entries.

“The aim of the CAN Craze competition is to challenge children’s creative skills by encouraging them to make artworks from used beverage cans and recyclables, showing them that recycling is fun,” said Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can. “This is a national competition and participating pupils and schools across the country stand in line to win prizes totalling R25000 for the most creative structures. These can structures can either be built in teams or individually and while there are no limits to the size of the structures, each structure will need to be made from a minimum of 300 cans,” Phomane explained.

The CAN Craze competition is not just fun for the youth but also supports the protection of the environment. For every can structure created the participants will need to have collected the cans that they will use in its construction and will thereby be contributing to a cleaner environment. The collection of cans will also add to the recovery rate of used beverage cans in the country.

Schools that are registered for the WESSA/WWF Eco Schools Program (www.wessa.org.za) can also use the work they’ve done building their construction as part of their portfolio.

Collect-a-Can would like to encourage schools and children that have not yet entered to do so as early as possible giving them sufficient time to build their construction. Collect-a-Can would also gladly welcome corporate companies wishing to get involved by sponsoring additional prizes.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the Collect-a-Can website www.collectacan.co.za or contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 for more information.


Collect-a-Can salutes inspirational women
August 2010

With Women’s Day approaching on 09 August 2010 Collect-a-Can felt it would be a fitting opportunity to take a moment to salute the women who are making a difference to their own lives and the lives of others through the inspirational work they are doing with Collect-a-Can. A vast majority of the people collecting cans for Collect-a-Can come from disadvantaged communities where the cash gained from selling recovered cans can make a significant difference to their day-to-day existence. Many of these collectors are women and it is often in communities such as these that the true strength and tenacity of women is highlighted as they show great initiative and fortitude in finding ways to support not only themselves and their families but also those around them. Today we highlight one such woman and applaud her for her remarkable work.

Belinda is a 59 year old woman who lives in the semi rural area of Mpola near Pinetown with her husband and their 5 children. With the assistance of her elder daughter, she collects cans, cardboard and plastic and sells these items to the local recyclers, earning herself a nominal income. She works six days a week, walking the streets with her collections until she has enough to sell. Belinda started bringing her cans in to Collect-a-Can in 1998 and has become a familiar face at the depot over the years. When Belinda’s husband lost his job some time ago she became the sole breadwinner and Belinda now feeds her family and pays her children’s tuition fees entirely on recycling income.

Due to a lack of education and opportunity outstanding women such as Belinda are not always able to source sponsorship for themselves or to expand their businesses to a more economically viable level and have resigned themselves to their current way of life. “We do our best to assist with entrepreneurial advice and support for these women,” said Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can, “but we would love to be able to bring about significant changes in their lives and would like to encourage any person or organisation who is able to provide them with assistance to contact Collect-a-Can to see how you can get involved.”
 
For more information contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.


Caption: Belinda with a bag of cans she has brought into the Collect-a-Can depot.



C’mon Cape Town, Collect-a-Can
July 2010
 
Collect-a-Can make it possible for anyone to earn cash by collecting cans.  Whether you want to earn a few extra Rands for yourself by bringing in the cans you use each month, win money for your school or  build a can recycling business, Collect-a-Can are there to help and support you.
 
There are five strategically positioned Collect-a-Can branches across South Africa and one of these branches is located in Cape Town, servicing the Cape Provinces. Collect-a-Can would like to encourage everyone in these areas to start collecting cans and cash in on the opportunities.
 
All used coldrink, beer, food and aerosol cans brought in to a Collect-a-Can branch will be weighed and paid for in cash. This can be a great way to supplement your income, and for those who collect in bulk, it can even become your primary income. Through mentorship and guidance, Collect-a-Can have helped some of their collectors to acquire basic business skills and even grow their own recovery and recycling businesses.
 
Schools can earn money and win prizes for themselves and their learners by entering Collect-a-Can’s National Schools Competitions. Last year Collect-a-Can paid more than R500 000 to schools, in collection fees and prize money, in their National Schools Competitions. This year will be no exception and schools in the Cape Provinces are encouraged to enter the competitions to make sure they get a share of the winnings.
 
In outlying areas Collect-a-Can make use of recycling agents; companies that are willing to pay collectors in the area for their cans and then transport these cans in bulk to the nearest Collect-a-Can branch for recycling. Collect-a-Can are always on the lookout for new agents and encourage businesses that are interested to contact them.
 
For more information on becoming a collector, entering the schools competitions or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can in the Cape Provinces, please contact the Collect-a-Can Cape Town branch on 021 534 7010 or visit the website www.collectacan.co.za.


C’mon KZN, Collect-a-Can
July 2010

Collect-a-Can make it possible for anyone to earn cash by collecting cans.  Whether you want to earn a few extra Rands for yourself by bringing in the cans you use each month, win money for your school or  build a can recycling business, Collect-a-Can are there to help and support you.

There are five strategically positioned Collect-a-Can branches across South Africa and one of these branches is located in Durban, servicing the Kwazulu Natal region as well as certain parts of the Eastern Cape up to East London. Collect-a-Can would like to encourage everyone in these areas to start collecting cans and cash in on the opportunities.

All used coldrink, beer, food and aerosol cans brought in to a Collect-a-Can branch will be weighed and paid for in cash. This can be a great way to supplement your income, and for those who collect in bulk, it can even become your primary income. Through mentorship and guidance, Collect-a-Can have helped some of their collectors to acquire basic business skills and even grow their own recovery and recycling businesses.

Schools can earn money and win prizes for themselves and their learners by entering Collect-a-Can’s National Schools Competitions. Last year Collect-a-Can paid more than R500 000 to schools, in collection fees and prize money, in their National Schools Competitions. This year will be no exception and schools in KZN are encouraged to enter the competitions to make sure they get a share of the winnings.

In outlying areas Collect-a-Can make use of recycling agents; companies that are willing to pay collectors in the area for their cans and then transport these cans in bulk to the nearest Collect-a-Can branch for recycling. Collect-a-Can are always on the lookout for new agents and encourage businesses that are interested to contact them.

For more information on becoming a collector, entering the schools competitions or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can in KZN, please contact the Collect-a-Can Durban branch on 031 700-5935 or visit the website www.collectacan.co.za.


C’mon North West, Collect-a-Can
July 2010
 
Collect-a-Can make it possible for anyone to earn cash by collecting cans.  Whether you want to earn a few extra Rands for yourself by bringing in the cans you use each month, win money for your school or  build a can recycling business, Collect-a-Can are there to help and support you.
 
There are five strategically positioned Collect-a-Can branches across South Africa and one of these branches, located in Aeroton, Johannesburg services the North West Province. Collect-a-Can would like to encourage everyone in North West to start collecting cans and cash in on the opportunities.
 
All used coldrink, beer, food and aerosol cans brought in to a Collect-a-Can branch will be weighed and paid for in cash. This can be a great way to supplement your income, and for those who collect in bulk, it can even become your primary income. Through mentorship and guidance, Collect-a-Can have helped some of their collectors to acquire basic business skills and even grow their own recovery and recycling businesses.
 
Schools can earn money and win prizes for themselves and their learners by entering Collect-a-Can’s National Schools Competitions. Last year Collect-a-Can paid more than R500 000 to schools, in collection fees and prize money, in their National Schools Competitions. This year will be no exception and schools in North West are encouraged to enter the competitions to make sure they get a share of the winnings.
 
In outlying areas Collect-a-Can make use of recycling agents; companies that are willing to pay collectors in the area for their cans and then transport these cans in bulk to the nearest Collect-a-Can branch for recycling. Collect-a-Can are always on the lookout for new agents and encourage businesses that are interested to contact them.
 
For more information on becoming a collector, entering the schools competitions or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can in the North West Province, please contact the Collect-a-Can Aeroton branch on 011 494 3623 or visit the website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can encourage recycling at the Fan Parks
21 June 2010

The 2010 FIFA World CupTM is upon us and as excitement builds to fever pitch, fans are gearing themselves up to watch the games at their homes, in bars and restaurants, at the stadiums and at any one of the Fan Parks dotted across the country. With the prospect of so many people gathering in one place at one time Collect-a-Can were quick to consider what the waste management implications in these areas would be and were happy to discover that each host city’s municipality will be erecting recycling stations at the Fan Parks as well as various other recycling bins throughout the cities.

The recycling bins and stations will form part of the Department of Environment’s 2010 Green Goal Programme which incorporates sustainable developmental principles into every aspect of the event. It comprises an action plan made up of 41 projects across nine target areas, including energy, waste, water, transport, hospitality and sustainable lifestyles. One of the nine target areas is that of Integrated Waste Management which stipulates that waste generated by the event is to be reduced, re-used and recycled.

“We are very pleased to see that recycling is being supported during an event of this magnitude,” said Mathabo Phomane, Marketing and PR Manager of Collect-a-Can. “We’d like to encourage every South African to set an example for our visitors by making use of the recycling bins and stations and by recycling as much as possible at home too during this busy and exciting time.” Phomane summarised. 

Enterprising individuals will have the opportunity to cash in on the extra waste generated by collecting discarded cans and submitting them to a Collect-a-Can depot where they will be paid cash for their cans. This includes all beverage cans as well as food, aerosol, oil and paint cans. Collect-a-Can will also gladly pick up bulk collections but a lower rate will be paid for these cans as transport costs will need to be covered.

For more information on recycling your cans during the World Cup contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can supports World Environment Day 2010
04 June 2010

5 June 2010 is World Environment Day and Collect-a-Can have expressed their strong support of this admirable initiative. World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that has been observed by countries across the world for the past 37 years.  It is a day that aims to cultivate awareness of the environment and to promote political consideration and public action. This year’s event will celebrate the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity through the theme 'Many Species.   One Planet. One Future'.

Countless activities are organized worldwide on WED including beach and river clean-ups, exhibitions, concerts, film festivals and community events.  “Environmental awareness is very important to us at Collect-a-Can,” said Mathabo Phomane, Marketing and PR Manager at Collect-a-Can. “We realize the important impact that cleaning the environment can have on the wildlife that is dependent on that environment for its survival. Collect-a-Can try to get involved in as many environmental improvement projects each year as we can. During the month of May 2010 we participated in two clean up campaigns in the KwaZulu Natal province as well as another campaign in Dobsonville, Soweto as part of greening Gauteng for the soccer World Cup. We are currently involved in supporting a 6-month environmental awareness campaign in the townships of Johannesburg’s West Rand, where volunteers are being trained to become “green warriors” who will go out into the communities and share their knowledge on the importance of environmental awareness and conservation. We have also been assisting Madikwe Game Reserve and the Kruger National Park with their recycling programmes since 2009. Recycling of waste in these reserves is of particular importance as improper waste management techniques could place the lives of the animals in these reserves at risk.” Phomane indicated.

Collect-a-Can would like to encourage all South Africans to get involved in cleaning their environment this World Environment Day. Any cans collected can be brought to a Collect-a-Can branch where the collector will be paid cash for their cans. Clean up activities can also be listed on the United Nations Environment Programme website at www.unep.org/wed where all listings will generate donations for the WED Legacy Project for the protection of Gorillas.

For more information about Collect-a-Can contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.


Collect-a-Can help KZN clean up before the World Cup
28 May 2010

Saturday 22 May saw scores of Durban schoolchildren, residents and community volunteers set out on a mission to clean up their city before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. This action was initiated by the Cleaner, Greener Durban Campaign, a joint initiate of the eThekwini Municipality’s Greening Durban 2010 and Imagine Durban Programmes, Durban Green Corridor Initiative and KZN Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development who invited residents to work with them in cleaning up certain areas. Collect-a-Can showed their support to the cleanup campaigns and donated 100 T-shirts to the volunteers.

Areas targeted for clean up were the banks of the uMngeni River Estuary in the Riverside and Blue Lagoon areas as well as in and around the Sugar Xulu Stadium in Clermont.

The cleanup in Umgeni focussed on cleaning-up the important uMngeni River Estuary and surrounding beaches and was dominated by school children from around five schools in the area as well as community members. Lucky draws were held to keep volunteers motivated.

In Clermont the clean-up was attended by approximately 100 community volunteers who removed close to 400 bags of refuse from the area leaving the streets looking spotless.

“DSW would like to express sincere gratitude to Collect-a-Can and their Branch Manager Vincent Zwane for their assistance in the clean-up and the donation of T-shirts,” said Ndyebo Mgingqizana, DSW Education representative from the eThekwini Municipality.

“The event went very well on Saturday,” said Vincent Zwane, Branch Manager for Collect-a-Can in Durban. “There are likely to be many more such clean-up campaigns in the foreseeable future and Collect-a-Can look forward to being involved wherever possible,” he concluded.

Pictures 1 & 2:  School children at the uMngeni River Estuary clean-up show off their Collect-a-Can T-shirts.

Picture 3:  Volunteers in Clermont collect waste along the streets.

Picture 4:  Spotless streets after the Clermont clean-up.

For more information on Collect-a-Can in KwaZulu Natal, please contact the Collect-a-Can Durban branch on 031 700 5935 or visit the website www.collectacan.co.za.

The Aerosol Manufacturers Association and Collect-a-Can make a difference at landfill site
12 May 2010

Collect-a-Can were delighted to be part of a sponsorship handover event recently where the Aerosol Manufacturers Association of South Africa (AMA) handed over safety gear to representatives of the pickers association at the Goudkoppies Municipal landfill site in Devland south of Johannesburg. The event, which took place on 4 May, saw the AMA donating specialized collection bags, face masks and rubber gloves that will be distributed to an estimated 2000 recycling collectors who are working on the landfill site.

“The AMA was founded in 1963,” said AMA spokesperson Mike Naude. “We recently formed a sustainability committee to focus on accountability in the areas of manufacturing, marketplace, social responsibility and environmental responsibility. The decision was made to approach Collect-a-Can to assist us with our endeavours to minimise the impact of aerosol cans on the environment by ensuring that as many cans as possible are reclaimed after they have been used and that they are recycled,” Naude explained.

 “This is a tremendous opportunity for Collect-a-Can,” said Annie Tsima, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can. “At inception Collect-a-Can focused on collecting only beverage cans, however over the years the organization has moved into collecting all used cans such as aerosol, food, paint and oil cans. What makes Collect-a-Can different from other recycling companies is that we focus on both the collection and recycling of used cans. With the world turning to a “greener” focus, companies and organisations are increasingly expected to be environmentally responsible in the way that they conduct their operations and businesses. The AMA recognizes the integral part that recycling of used aerosol cans plays in the sustainability of the environment and as such we will strive to assist them wherever possible,” Tsima concluded.

There is currently little infrastructure in place for household waste separation at source and as such the majority of used aerosol cans end up in landfills, despite these cans being entirely recyclable.  Pickers earn their livelihood by sorting manually through the general waste on landfill sites to separate out recyclable items which are then sold to recycling companies such as Collect-a-Can. An estimated 32 000 tons of waste is processed by the Goudkoppies landfill site per month. Working in such close proximity with the waste can pose health and safety hazards for the pickers, hence the association’s decision to donate the safety gear. The pickers were delighted with the donation. “We have been praying for help and now our prayers have been answered,” said Eddie Mudau who spoke on behalf of the waste pickers.

“It is a step in the right direction to see the waste pickers, their representatives and industry bodies such as the AMA and Collect-a-Can all together under one roof like this,” said Dumisani Buthelezi, a representative from the dti (Department of Trade and Industry)  Environmental Directorate who attended the event. “There are a lot of job opportunities and new industries arising from the waste management and recycling industry and by getting the right people together, focused on the same goals, it can only lead to a positive outcome. The Recycling Industry Body has been established to promote initiatives of this nature.”

Collect-a-Can look forward to an ongoing relationship with the AMA making positive inroads in the process of reclaiming aerosol cans from the waste cycle.

For more information contact Collect-a-Can’s head office at 011 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Caption 1: Mattia De Dominicis and Mike Naude, representatives of the AMA hand over gloves and face masks to waste pickers at the Goudkoppies Municipal landfill site in Devland south of Johannesburg on 4 May 2010.

Caption 2: Pickers try on their new masks.

Collect-a-Can demonstrated their commitment to the environment recently when they gave every staff member the gift of “Thyme” on Earth Day. Employees were each given a can filled with soil and a packet of seeds for the herb Thyme, which they could then plant, nurture and grow into their own kitchen herb. A card along with the gift read, “Collect-a-Can is taking ‘thyme’ to bring home the message to look after the environment. Happy Earth Day from Collect-a-Can.”

“At Collect-a-Can we want to make environmental awareness a way of life for all our staff members,” said Mathabo Phomane, Marketing and PR Manager at Collect-a-Can. “We realise the importance of living the philosophies that we strive for as a business, in our home lives as well, and as such we make an effort to get our staff members involved. By growing their own plant in a can, staff are doing their bit for the environment whilst finding a good use for a tin can at the same time,” she continued. In another awareness initiative, Collect-a-Can have set up a recycling depot at the office where staff members can dispose of all their household recyclable waste. Labelled bins for cans, paper, plastic and glass make sorting the refuse easy. Once the bins are full Collect-a-Can ensure that the waste is taken to the relevant recycling companies to be processed.
 
For more information about Collect-a-Can contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za 

Collect-a-Can help Coca-Cola Give It Back
30 March 2010

Educating and rewarding school children in the area of recycling has always been a key element in Collect-a-Can’s modus operandi which is why they were thrilled to be offered the opportunity recently to assist in Coca-Cola’s National Schools Recycling Programme, called Give It Back, which awarded 20 000 tickets to the 2010 Fifa World CupTM matches to winning learners from 200 schools across South Africa. “This project touched on two of our core focuses – empowerment of the less fortunate through recycling and educating the youth from an early age about the importance of recycling,” said Mathabo Phomane, Public Relations and Marketing Manager for Collect-a-Can. “Through this initiative we were able to show the youth that recycling can be fun and rewarding,” she continued.

A partnership project between Coca-Cola, DOE (Department of Education), Petco and Collect-a-Can, the programme focused on recycling as well as the fostering of a recycling mindset among the learners. The programme tied into FIFA’s “Green Goal” programme of heightening awareness and encouraging participation in efforts of saving our environment.

The competition ran from 18 January to 19 February 2010 and encouraged learners from the participating schools (which were selected by the DOE) to collect as many cans and PET bottles as possible over the competition period. Those who collected the most bottles and cans won tickets to one of the 64, 2010 Fifa World CupTM games. Collect-a-Can’s role in the project was to assist in transporting the cans that had been collected by the schools to recycling sites.

Coca-Cola expressed their gratitude to Collect-a-Can for the sterling work done by the branches to collect the great bulk of cans and bottles in as short a time as possible. This was a very rewarding project for Collect-a-Can and it is hoped that many more such joint-working initiatives will be possible in the future.

For more information, please contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can supports National Water Week (15 - 21 March 2010)
15 March 2010

Water is an essential but scarce commodity in South Africa. Increasing demand for water and deteriorating water quality make water management a priority in our country. We depend on rivers, dams and underground water for our water supply and it is therefore essential to take care of these systems. National Water Week, which runs from 15-21 March 2010, is an awareness campaign that aims to highlight among others the need to conserve and protect this precious resource and to use it sparingly as it is a finite resource. “Protection of the environment is one of the core operations objectives of our organisation,” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. “As such we would like to show our fullest support to National Water Week.”

Much of the water that ends up in our dams and rivers is channeled there by the stormwater drains that collect downpours during the rainy season. Beverage cans, along with other waste items left littering the streets, are often washed down storm water drains making their way into our rivers. Here they soon trap silt which weighs them down and they sink to the river bed where they create a breeding ground for bacteria as the water and mud inside them stagnates. Over time they corrode and these rusted cans become hazardous to anyone walking along the river. These cans are also lost to the recycling cycle as they are unlikely to be reclaimed by can collectors.

“We would like to encourage people to dispose of their used cans correctly,” Phomane says, “so that they can be recovered and recycled before they can do any damage to the environment. Taking a few small steps can make a significant difference to your environment.”

What you can do to help:
• Practice the three R's -Reduce, Re-use and Recycle
• Bring your used beverage cans, aerosol cans and tinned food cans to a Collect-a-Can recycling depot
• Donate your used cans to one of the many schools taking part in the Collect-a-Can Schools Competitions
• Use tin cans as pots for growing seedlings or herbs
• Buy bigger tins of food, you will save money buying in  bulk and benefit the environment at the same time
• Report water pollution to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
• Teach those who don't know better and set a good example for others to follow

For more information on the Collect-a-Can depots or the schools taking part in the Schools Competitions, please contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za 

Collect-a-Can needs agents in outlying areas
16 February 2010

People across South Africa have been inspired to earn money while improving their environment by collecting cans for Collect-a-Can. But sometimes these collectors find themselves so far away from the nearest Collect-a-Can depot that the cost of transporting their cans to a collection point negates the income they would earn from their collections in the first place. For this reason, Collect-a-Can is searching for companies who would be willing to partner with them to become agents, specifically in outlying areas. Scrap metal dealers, multi-recycling companies and / or any other businesses that are willing and have the infrastructure to assist, are encouraged to get involved. The agents would be helping their community while at the same time benefiting from being part of the Collect-a-Can network.

Collect-a-Can has five strategically positioned branches - three in Gauteng Province in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Vanderbijlpark, one in Cape Town in the Western Cape and one in Durban in KwaZulu Natal. However, having agents working with them across the country could significantly increase their reach.

“We are particularly in need of agents in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga regions,” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can, “We have had a lot of enquiries from individuals and schools in these areas that would like to become collectors for Collect-a-Can and they would greatly benefit from having a collection point in their area.”

Agents would be supported by schools in their vicinity, as well as businesses and individuals who are collecting cans for money. The agent would need to either recycle the cans and submit the tonnages to Collect-a-Can or act as a depository where the cans can be assembled before being transported to the nearest Collect-a-Can depot in bulk.

Assistance from businesses that are willing to fund the purchase or storage cages or to transport bulk tins to a depot or agent would also be greatly welcomed.

For more information on getting involved or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can, please contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za

How creative CAN you get?
11 February 2010

Get creative with Collect-a-Can! Sharpen those pencils and get your paint brushes ready for Collect-a-Can’s new and exciting Artistic Expression competition. Learners across the country are encouraged to interpret the theme “Used Beverage Cans, in perfect harmony with nature” through the creation of a drawing or painting. The competition is open for all learners across the country. There is no limit as to how big or small your work of art needs to be, but the more creative the better! There are two categories, Category 1 is open to learners from Grade 0 – 7 and Category 2 for learners from Grade 8 – 12. There are great cash prizes for grabs for each of the winners in both categories. First prize winners in each category stand a chance of winning R1000! Second prize winners will get R500.00 and third prize will be R250.00.

The competition is currently open and will be running until the end of May 2010. Entries need to reach Collecta-Can (Janette Raath, PO Box 30500, Kyalami, 1684) no later than 31 May 2010. To take part in this exciting competition, make sure that you are registered.

For more information on the Artistic Expression Competitions please contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za

Collect-a-Can has high hopes for the new year
25 January 2010

A fresh new year has arrived and as school children pick up their satchels and return to school, Collect-a-Can are picking up the pace to prepare for another bumper year of exciting competitions. This year Collect-a-Can hope to get even more schools across Southern Africa involved in their schools competitions and with exciting new initiatives on the horizon, things are looking promising indeed.

Collect-a-Can have been running their schools competitions for over 17 years. The primary objective of the schools competition is to sensitize youth on the important impact that recycling has on the environment and to demonstrate to them the economic benefits of recycling. To date more than a million children in schools throughout Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape, Free State, and the North West provinces, have been reached by this initiative. Close to 8 000 tons of used beverage cans have been recovered by the schools; the equivalent weight of approximately 1600 fully grown elephants.

The Collect-a-Can National Schools Competition, which runs from February to October each year, offers cash prizes to the schools that collect the most cans per month with additional prizes for the schools that collect the most cans through the entire year.

Schools that enter the National Schools Competition will automatically be entered into the Guinness World RecordsTM attempt competition in October. In 2007 Collect-a-Can set a world record for collecting the most used beverage cans in one month. In 2008 the record was maintained and last year, the organisation set a new record by collecting a whopping 2 122 238 cans in a month. This year Collect-a-Can will again call on schools nationwide to assist them in their attempt to break their record.

In the Can Craze Competition schools are required to collect a minimum of 300 cans and use them to build a construction of their own design. Prizes are awarded for the most creative structures and some of the top constructions will be showcased at Collect-a-Can’s annual School Awards Ceremony hosted around the country.  This competition will run from June to September.

The Artistic Expression Competition is a new competition that is being launched this year and will run from February to May. It encourages learners to interpret the theme “Used Beverage Cans, in perfect harmony with nature” through the creation of a drawing or painting. Great prizes will be up for grabs.

“None of these competitions would be possible were it not for the generous contributions of the organizations that sponsor the prizes we award to the schools,” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. “In order to maintain our current stable of competitions and hopefully broaden our scope in the future we are always on the lookout for more sponsors. As such we would like to encourage any potential sponsors to come forward and offer their support.” Phomane continues.

With so much to look forward to in 2010 Collect-a-Can is calling on learners, parents, friends, businesses and members of the community to get their local schools involved and get collecting!

For more information on the Schools Competitions or on how to become a sponsor, please contact the Collect-a-Can head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za

You can collect at Christmas too
14 December 2009

The Festive Season is one of the best times of the year for environmental enthusiasts. With all the festivities and celebrations, there are plenty of opportunities to collect, recycle and reuse waste that would otherwise end up in landfill sites.

The effects of global warming are becoming more and more prevalent worldwide, and Africa is no exception. However, fighting global warming is something that we can all do. Through recycling and reusing waste material, we can effectively reduce the amount of gasses that contribute to global warming. This Christmas, Collect-a-Can would like to again encourage South Africans at large to become a part of the solution.

There are many creative ways to manage your waste particularly over the Festive Season, and even small recycling efforts go a long way. Making use of recyclable materials such as tins will reduce waste and benefit the environment. Here are some good reasons why you should use cans this Christmas:

• Cans are 100% recyclable, thereby reducing over a kilogram of CO2. – helping you to reduce your  carbon foot print – every bit helps! 
• Cans are the most efficient form of packaging for refrigerators or cool rooms, taking less space than other packs.
• Steel can be used time and time again.
• Cans chill quicker in a fridge than any other packaging, thereby saving electricity.

Used cold drink cans can also be used to create beautiful artwork to decorate Christmas trees. You can also use the larger food cans for planting indigenous plants and give them as great organic Christmas presents. 

Best of all, this is the best time for learners to start collecting cans in anticipation of the Schools Competition next year and get off to a great start! 

Recycling and using recyclable and reusable materials not only benefit the environment but can benefit your pocket too. By taking your used cans to Collect-a-Can, you will earn some extra cash which you can use to go on holiday! Other recyclable material such as glass, paper and plastic can also be taken to the respective recycling companies.

For more information on Collect-a-Can and its various activities call (011) 466-2939 or visit website on www.collectacan.co.za 

Collect-a-Can celebrates successes in KZN
07 December 2009

Collect-a-Can recognises schools for their tremendous collecting contributions during the year.

At a closed function earlier this month, Collect-a-Can congratulated and honoured schools in KwaZulu Natal that have made a significant contribution to the collection of cans during 2009.

Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager for Collect-a-Can indicated, “We commend Mthethomusha SP School in KwaZulu, they can be very proud of their achievements this year, they came fourth in the overall National Competition’s Category 1 (most cans collected in total), having collected 692448 cans between February and October 2009.”

Dr. Mbokazi, General Manager of the Department of Education in KwaZulu Natal was the guest speaker. In his speech he emphasized the importance of expanding the footprint of Collect-a-Can’s schools competition in KwaZulu Natal and has pledged The Department’s support for Collect-a-Can’s school projects and will assist them to reach a greater footprint by helping them to distribute the schools registration forms and educational material going forward. “We need more corporate organisations, especially packaging producing organisations to get involved and support Collect-a-Can’s initiatives.”

Bevcan’s General Manager, Mr. Zama Zamisa congratulated Collect-a-Can on their schools competition program, and applauded Collect-a-Can on its strong brand, which Nampak and ArcelorMittal as Collect-a-Can’s shareholders cherish, especially with regards to the achievements towards maintaining a clean environment and the conservation of natural resources.

Next year Collect-a-Can will be adding another competition to the competition stable – learners will be required to interpret “used beverage cans in perfect harmony with nature” through either a painting or drawing.

For more information on Collect-a-Can and their various competitions visit Collect-a-Can’s website www.collectacan.co.za or contact Collect-a-Can’s head office on (031) 031 700-5935.

Gauteng schools cash in at Collect-a-Can’s year end prize giving in Johannesburg
02 December 2009

Schools from across Gauteng were present to receive the prizes they won from Collect-a-Can during the year at an exciting event held at the Focus Rooms in Sunninghill, Johannesburg earlier this month. The prize giving event is held annually to recognize the top collectors for the year in Collect-a-Can’s various schools competitions.

“Gauteng did really well this year,” said Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can, “walking away with top accolades in the CAN Craze Competition and in Category 2 of the National Schools Competition. Overall, schools in Gauteng won a grand total of R108,750.00 for their efforts over the course of 2009.”

Parktown Girls High School took first prize in the CAN Craze competition winning R15 000 for their replica of the Eiffel Tower constructed from cans. Hoërskool Florida came in second with their structured interpretation of “The Magic Rainbow”, winning themselves R7 000.

In the National Schools Competition, Gereformeerde Kleuterskool Dirk Postma walked away with the R25 000 first prize for collecting the most cans per pupil over the year. They managed to collect 28111 cans per child. Laërskool Roodekrans came third, winning R5 000, in the category for collecting the most cans per school.

In the Guinness World RecordsTM competition Laërskool Roodekrans again did themselves proud by winning the most cans collected in October in the Gauteng Region, and walked away with a book prize from Pan MacMillan.

“We have had tremendous positive feedback around the new competitions we launched in 2007 – the writing competition, CAN Craze and Guinness World Records, and if we go by the number of entries we received this year, it is clear that we are doing something right.” Phomane stated. “It is important for us to measure what the youth think of recycling and the environment, and have learnt a lot from their creativity. Next year we will be launching a new competition to inspire young people – learners will be required to interpret “used beverage cans in perfect harmony with nature” through either a painting or drawing.”

Learners and guests at the prize giving event were entertained by “Greener Wealth” a youth performing group, who illustrated the importance of recycling through song, dance and drama and by learners from Hoërskool Florida who presented a fashion show where they modeled items of clothing that they had fashioned from tin cans.

To show their commitment to recycling and a greener environment, Collect-a-Can served up certain dishes in tin cans and offered guest the option to eat off recyclable eatware.

Overall the event was a great success and Collect-a-Can look forward to continuing the trend for many years to come.

For more information on how to enter the competitions that will be run in 2010 contact Collect-a-Can at their Johannesburg head office on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za

CAPTION: “Greener Wealth” entertainers kept the guests enthralled at Collect-a-Can’s annual year-end prize giving in Sunninghill earlier this month. Schools from around the province were awarded for their hard work collecting cans throughout the year.
Photographer – Janette Raath

November 2009 

CAPTION:  Learners from Sekwati Primary School kept the guests enthralled at Collect-a-Can’s annual year-end prize giving in the North West province earlier this month. Schools from around the province were awarded for their hard work collecting cans throughout the year. Top prizes for the Province went to  Sediko Primary School with a total prize money of R25 000. Next year Collect-a-Can will be launching a new competition to inspire young people – learners will be required to interpret “used beverage cans in perfect harmony with nature” through either a painting or drawing.”
For more information on Collect-a-Can and their competitions visit www.collectacan.co.za  

Collect-a-Can celebrates successes in Cape Town
25 November 2009

Collect-a-Can recognises schools for their tremendous collecting contributions during the year.
At a closed function earlier this month, at Ratanga Junction, Collect-a-Can congratulated and honoured schools in the Western Cape that have made a significant contribution to the collection of cans during 2009.

“The Annual National Schools Competition has always been a very important date on Collect-a-Can’s Calendar. The youth has always been very important to us, and we acknowledge the age old proverb that says, ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.’ So it is pivotal for us to instill good waste management habits from an early age so that recycling becomes second nature,” said Annie Tsima, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can.
Tsima continued, “Even though 2009 has been a very challenging year for Collect-a-Can in light of the economic situation and fluctuating steel price, we were still able to achieve a 72% recovery rate.  This puts Southern Africa in the world’s top five and makes Collect-a-Can the most successful operation of its kind in the world.”
Guest speaker, Alderman Clive Justus from the City of Cape Town focussed on the importance of recycling and looking after our natural resources, and congratulated Collect-a-Can on its school initiatives.

Western Cape Schools can be very proud of their achievements this year. The National Competition’s Category 1 (most cans collected in total), was won by the Oasis Association who walked away with the grand prize of R25,000.00. Panda Bear Day Care walked away with the second prize of R15 000 for the National Competition, Category 2 (most cans collected per learner); Oasis came third in this category winning R5 000.00. Oasis Association and Panda Day Care each also won an additional R 9 000.00 for collecting the most cans each month from February to October.  Ingrid Joubert, Grade 6 learner from Kenridge Primary School won the National Poetry Competition, winning herself R1,000.00 for her entry, “My Can, My Environment.” Bay Primary won third prize for their entry into the National “CAN Craze” competition, with their car made from used beverage cans big enough for two learners to sit inside, walking away with R3,000.00 for their school!

Next year Collect-a-Can will be adding another competition to the competition stable – learners will be required to interpret “used beverage cans in perfect harmony with nature” through either a painting or drawing.

CAPTION – learners from Panda Bear Day Care plays with Collect-a-Can’s Can Man before the awards function at Ratanga Junction. The Day Care walked away with R24 000 for their continued can collecting effort throughout the year!
Photographer: Regine le Roux

For more information on Collect-a-Can and their various competitions visit Collect-a-Can’s website www.collectacan.co.za or contact Collect-a-Can’s head office on (011) 466 2939. 

Collect-a-Can up the ante with Guinness World RecordsTM
18 November 2009

Collect-a-Can has broken its previous Guinness World Records™ figure for collecting the most steel cans in one month!
 
Collect-a-Can are proud to announce that they have beaten the record they set in the 2007 Guinness World Records for collecting the most steel cans in one month! The total cans for all collections in the month of October 2009 amounted to 2,122,238 that were collected by school children. This impressive result overreaches the previous schools record of 1,971,026 cans by 7.6%.

The record was first set in October 2007 when Collect-a-Can managed to collect a staggering 1,971,026 cans from schools in a single month, accounting for almost 10% of the total can production in Southern Africa, for 2006.  The company attempted to beat the record again in 2008 but fell short by just a few cans. This year however, despite the economic downturn which has resulted in fewer canned drinks being consumed and thus fewer cans being available for collection, there has been a terrific response from collectors who have really put in a lot of effort in submitting their cans to help break the record.

“None of this would have been possible were it not for the collectors who recover the cans for us,” said Annie Tsima, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can. “We are particularly proud of the school children whose efforts have helped boost our collection numbers significantly. There is an old saying that goes, ‘you need to bend a stick while it is still young’ meaning that you can best reach people in their youth, and instil healthy waste management habits. It is for this reason that one of Collect-a-Can’s main focuses has always been to get the youth involved and excited about our collection efforts and initiatives, and the Guinness World Records attempt is a wonderful concept for them to be part of,” Tsima continued.

Publishing group Pan MacMillan have generously sponsored book prizes for the three schools that collected the most cans for Collect-a-Can per region during the Guinness World Records attempt in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape. Pan Macmillan is known for its high-quality academic, scholarly, educational, fiction, non-fiction and reference publishing and will be sponsoring 45 to 50 books per school to the libraries of these top collecting schools.

MySchool, South Africa's biggest community support and fundraising programme has been the initiative’s media partner, ensuring that schools and supporters across the country stay informed and motivated to make a change for the good of our environment.

Up until now Collect-a-Can have only been able to offer prizes to schools participating in their Guinness World Records attempt; it is hoped however, that additional sponsors will come forward in subsequent years to offer prizes to members of the public and other institutions who participate as well.

With the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors into the country next year, Collect-a-Can look forward to a bumper year of can collections and the opportunity to set an even bigger and better record for 2010!

For more information visit Collect-a-Can’s website www.collectacan.co.za or contact Collect-a-Can’s head office on (011) 466 2939.

A new Managing Director to lead Collect-a-Can
19 October 2009

Annie Tsima takes over the reins at Collect-a-Can as new Managing Director.

Collect-a-Can is pleased to announce the appointment of Annie Tsima as the new Managing Director of the organisation. Tsima will be taking over the reins from Funani Mojono who will be returning to ArcelorMittal as General Manager of Coke and Chemicals after leading Collect-a-Can from strength to strength over the last three years.

Tsima joins Collect-a-Can from ArcelorMittal where she was responsible for Sales & Marketing for State-Owned Enterprises since December 2007. Prior to that, she worked for South African Airways (SAA) for 12 years in operational, commercial and sales & marketing. She also spent 4.5 years in Asia based in Thailand, Australia and Hong Kong as SAA’s Representative in the regions. Before that, Annie started her employment career with Eskom from 1987 to 1995.

Tsima is currently immersing herself in Collect-a-Can by visiting the six branches across Southern Africa. This is helping her tap into the culture of the business and gain insight into the needs of the organisation. “We currently have branches in Botswana and Namibia, (over and above our six in South Africa); however we want to forge even closer relationships with all our African neighbours, waste management is not only a South African problem, but a global problem; we need to engage with our neighbours and share experiences and learn from each other on how best to manage our waste and learn best practices when it comes to recycling. We will definitely be investigating how best to maximise opportunities across borders.” indicated Tsima.

“Entrepreneurial development and empowerment of previously disadvantaged individuals through our can collection initiatives is important to me, I think that Collect-a-Can has made a tremendous impact in this area and I will definitely continue to make this a key focus for the organisation.” Collect-a-Can prides itself in the support that it has given to entrepreneurs since its inception. An estimated 100 000 collectors are collecting cans on a regular basis, but as many as 160 000 people could be involved at any particular time. Most of these collectors recover cans to supplement their household income but for many it is their only income. These collectors are however not employed by Collect-a-Can. Collect-a-Can assists upcoming entrepreneurs by providing them with advice on how to increase their productivity and profitability. In addition, they are assisted with materials like bags for collection, arrangement of transport and the use of mobile balers.

“Collect-a-Can has had an incredible impact on the youth when it comes to educating the youth from a young age about recycling and good waste habits; we will continue to maximise our relationship with schools and learners, and will look at ways to build and enhance this initiative to get even more schools involved in the future. The competition has been running since 1993 with an average of 1 million learners participating annually. Through the Schools Competition initiative, Collect-a-Can aims to educate learners to be sensitive, informed, and aware of the importance of recycling for the environment and to demonstrate to them the economic benefits of recycling. Approximately 350 schools have registered so far for the national schools competition this year.”

“Collect-a-Can has recently announced their 72% recovery rate, this puts Southern Africa in the world’s top five and makes Collect-a-Can the most successful operation of its kind in the world. This is a phenomenal feat, especially in the current economic crunch. Collect-a-Can will strive to maintain this recovery rate,” says Tsima, “While this is a new environment for me I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead and am very positive about the future”

With Tsima’s wealth of marketing and management experience, she is ideally placed to keep Collect-a-Can on its upwards trajectory for the foreseeable future.

For more information on Collect-a-Can visit Collect-a-Can’s website www.collectacan.co.za or contact Collect-a-Can’s head office on (011) 466 2939.

For media interviews or any further information on Annie Tsima - please contact Regine le Roux on 083 302 1528 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
16 October 2009

On 17 October it the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Collect-a-Can wholly supports the eradication of poverty and for the last 16 years has been helping the impoverished help themselves with their cans for cash scheme. 

The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty aims to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries - a need that has become a development priority.

Collect-a-Can has made tremendous inroads in supporting entrepreneurs since its inception 16 years ago. There are currently an estimated 37 000 collectors that collect cans on a regular basis, but as many as 100 000 people could be involved at any particular time. Most of these collectors recover cans to supplement their household income but for many it is their only income. These collectors are however not employed by Collect-a-Can. Collect-a-Can assists upcoming entrepreneurs by providing them with advice on how to increase their productivity and profitability. 

“However, our resources in terms of being able to support individuals in remote areas are very limited,” indicated Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. “Particularly in areas like Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Free State Province. Transport costs are unfortunately prohibitive and in many cases collectors just can’t afford to get their cans to a depot thus losing out on the income opportunity. We need more agents in the remote areas, we could offer more people the opportunity to earn money for their collections while improving their environment and at the same time reducing the number of cans lost to landfills in the area.” 

As such, Collect-a-Can are looking for companies who would be willing to partner with them to become agents in their specific areas. Scrap metal dealers, recycling companies or any businesses that are willing and have the infrastructure to assist, are encouraged to get involved. The agents would be helping their community while at the same time benefiting from being part of Collect-a-Can’s network.

Assistance from businesses that are willing to fund the purchase of storage cages or transport bulk tins to a depot or agent would also be welcomed.

For more information on getting involved or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can, please contact the Collect-a-Can branch nearest to you.Collect-a-Can can be contacted on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.
 

Collect-a-Can schools competition heats up
30 September 2009

With just a month to go before the end of the 2009 Collect-a-Can schools competition, things are heating up. Participating schools are competing to see who can collect the most cans for the year, putting them in line to be the champion collectors and standing a chance to win cash prizes that are awarded over and above the existing monthly prizes.
 
The 2009 Schools Competition runs from February to October with monthly cash prizes being awarded to the schools that collect the most cans per month in each region. The same prizes are awarded to the schools that collect the most cans per pupil per month. At the end of the year additional prizes are up for grabs in the National Schools Competition for the schools that have collected the most cans throughout the year nationally.

To date more than 350 schools have registered for the competition and now stand in line to win their share of over R250 000 in prize money.

First prize winners for June and July were Roseneath Primary School, Kiddies Corner, Tom Newby School and Towerby Pre-Primary School in Aeroton; Oasis Association and Panda Bear Daycare in Cape Town; Henryville Primary School and Peter Nasorg in Durban; Ikhwezi Lokhuza School and Dirk Postma Kleuterskool in Pretoria; Mojala Thutho Primary School, Iphahlolleng Intermediate School and Taaibos Combined School in Vanderbijlpark and Sediko Primary School in North West Province.

Oasis Association lead the race over this two-month period for collecting over 300 000 cans. In North West Province and Vanderbijlpark, where entries have been limited, schools stand a really good chance of winning just by entering.  Last month a school could have won a R100 prize for submitting just a single can!

“It is not too late to enter your school if you have not done so yet,” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. “We would like to encourage as many schools as possible to register for October,” she continues, “and to get their pupils and community members to collect as many cans as possible. In this way, winning a prize is still possible.”

Entry forms for the Schools Competition can be downloaded from the Collect-a-Can website www.collectacan.co.za or requested from Collect-a-Can head office. For more information contact Collect-a-Can on (011) 466 2939.

Collect-a-Can supports Oasis Association in Cape Town and urges more businesses to do the same. 

For the past 15 years, Collect-a-Can has been working very closely with Oasis Association in Claremont in the Western Cape.  Oasis Association, which is based in the heart of Cape Town, is a haven for intellectually disabled people. It provides employment opportunities, skills development training, day care centres and residential homes for over 450 intellectually disabled people. It enables them to realise their fullest potential at each stage of their development, and thereby become as independent and productive as possible within the community.

Although they receive funding from a variety of sources, they have had to introduce various projects to raise the funds necessary to provide essential services. One such initiative is their waste management and recycling project. It’s estimated that Cape Town residents produce over 6000 tons of waste per day. In other words, each person (approximately 3,497,097 people in the greater Cape Town area) produces over 1.72 kilograms of waste per day. The integrated waste management approach taken by the Association and the different ways in which waste is recycled, definitely has a positive impact on the amount of waste that ends up on landfills.

Collect-a-Can‘s Cape Town branch Manager, Rodrick Resandt says, “we are proud to be associated with Oasis, we have been supporting them since the beginning. We see it as our bit that we are doing for our community. They are doing a tremendous service in the community as well as recycling, and keeping unnecessary waste out of the landfills.”

According to Aubrey Wicomb, Recycling and Transport Manager at Oasis Association, “we are delighted to confirm that we process 240 tons of recyclable waste a month.  This means that we saved the City of Cape Town in excess of 21 000 cubic metres of landfill (the size of a rugby field buried under four metres of waste) in the course of the 2007/2008 financial year. We are very grateful for the recycling material we receive from large companies, but we need more especially during these trying times. Your company’s waste, especially office paper, can provide work and income for those who need it most.”

For more information on Oasis Association, and how you can get involved visit their website on www.oasis.org.za or contact them 021 671-2698 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information on Collect-a-Can 021 534-7010 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can clean up at Nkandla
29 September 2009

Collect-a-Can recently demonstrated their commitment to supporting recycling initiatives at community level by getting involved in an awareness and clean-up campaign in Nkandla Township, the northern KwaZulu-Natal rural home of President Jacob Zuma.

The event, which took place on 18 September 2009, was the brainchild of a joint enterprise between the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development, Nkandla Municipality and Collect-a-Can. Various recycling organisations were invited to participate and provided sponsorship where possible. Collect-a-Can sponsored T-shirts, Plastic Federation sponsored refuse bags and Nkandla Health Department provided disposable gloves. uThungulu Municipality’s Environmental Health Department provided catering for the guests.

 

School children from various schools in Nkandla as well as members of the community gathered at the municipal hall in the morning to assist with the clean up.  They were given T-shirts and refuse bags and divided into groups to clean different areas.  All the waste that was collected was deposited at a central point where a Municipal vehicle was on hand to collect, process and dispose of it.
 
At the end of the clean-up the crowd was addressed and thanked by Honourable Mayor Mr. Zulu and Acting Municipality Manager Mr. Mnyandu. Information was shared about the importance of environmental and recycling awareness and the various programs and competitions being run by Collect-a-Can. Glass Recycling also provided information about their operations.

“The day was a great success and we were proud to be involved,” said Vincent Zwane, KZN Branch Manager at Collect-a-Can. “It is hoped that Collect-a-Can will be involved in many more such initiatives,” he continued.

For more information visit the Collect-a-Can website www.collectacan.co.za or contact Collect-a-Can on 031 700-5935.

School Celebrates Can Collection Success
29 September 2009

KwaZulu Natal - A year later, Mthethomusha SP School, are still revelling in their can collection success - last year (2008) they walked away with two of the top awards in the Collect-a-Can competitions.

In an attempt to make can collecting more appealing and to make recycling fun, Collect-a-Can and Ster-Kinekor Distribution in conjunction with DELL Computers ran a competition encouraging learners, parents and communities to collect as many cans as they could for their school in one month. Mthethomusha SP School took up the challenge, and was the winner of the Grand prize. Last week the school unveiled their computer room valued at R250 000.00!

Over and above this, the school had also entered Collect-a-Can's Annual Guinness World Records competition, where Collect-a-Can was aiming to break their record that they set in 2007 for collecting the most cans in one month. During this time Collect-a-Can with sponsors Pan Macmillan, Coca-Cola, IBM and MySchool encouraged learners and schools to help them break the record. Schools that collected the most cans stood a chance of winning generously sponsored prizes. Mthethomusha SP School, again took up the challenge and won the category for "Top Performing Disadvantaged School", walking away with R110 000.00 sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa. "We are very grateful for these prizes, and having the opportunity to improve our school, making it a better place for our learners to be educated. Not only are we giving back to the environment, but our learners can also reap the benefits of their hard work" says, Mr. Malinga, School Principal. "With the money we have won from the Collect-a-Can competitions, we have built a school hall."
"It is very encouraging to see the increase in schools that take part in our schools competitions each year. We are very grateful that through our wonderful sponsors, we are able to give back to the community, and to help those schools that are less privileged to grow and empower themself through our initiatives." says, Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager from Collect-a-Can.

Phomane continues, “our National and Guinness World Records competitions are still open for registration for 2009 and schools are encouraged to enter and take advantage of the opportunity to uplift their school. Even if schools don’t win a prize, they will still get paid cash for all their cans that they collect at the end of each month. We are hoping for a record number of entries for this year.

For more information on Collect-a-Can and how to get involved in the different schools competitions visit www.collectacan.co.za or call (011) 466 – 2939.

Walk in competition August winners - Durban
17 September 2009


 
Vincent Zwane, Collect-a-Can KwaZulu Natal branch manager (left) congratulates David Jacobs (right) who entered Collect-a-Can's Walk-in-Competition that was launched earlier this year. Mr. Jacobs won his share of the R10 000 that Collect-a-Can are giving away over a period of four months. The purpose of the competition is to reward existing can collectors for their efforts while at the same time introducing new people to the concept of starting their own businesses by collecting cans.
 
Budding entrepreneurs and resourceful individuals have formed an integral part of the Collect-a-Can family since its inception 16 years ago. Through mentorship and guidance, Collect-a-Can have helped collectors acquire basic business skills and even grow their own recovery and recycling businesses
The competition will be running until the end of September 2009. Participants are encouraged to SMS “win” to 32912 or MMS “cash” to 32912 after which a number will be SMSed back to them. They will then need to bring this number as well as 330 cans to their nearest Collect-a-Can branch in order to participate. At the branch they will be paid for their cans and their name will be entered into the draw where they could win their share of R10 000. Two winners are announced at the end of every month. Those who have not won will stay in the game and will still stand a chance to win cash over the duration of the competition. SMSes and MMSes will be charged at R1.00 per message.

In addition to the competition, a branch tour will be held at all Collect-a-Can branches every Friday from 09h00 to 12h00 for the duration of the campaign.  The purpose of the tours will be to educate interested parties on how the collection and recycling process works and to demonstrate the opportunities that exist when starting a can collection business.

For more information on the competition or to visit the branch, please contact (031) 700 5935 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also visit www.collectacan.co.za

Collect-a-Can go wild in the Kruger National Park
16 September 2009

Collect-a-Can have become proud partners in the Kruger National Park’s Recycling Project; an initiative that has been implemented to address the waste management needs within the park.

The Kruger National Park is faced with the arduous task of disposing of the waste created by more than a million visitors that pass through its gates each year. In the past, the park had no option but to incinerate this waste, but that has changed dramatically over the years. The Kruger now strives to reach a 100% recycle rate of all recyclable waste within the park and since July 2007 have facilitated the recycling of approximately 12.4 million cans, 2.28 million glass bottles and 2.85 million PET bottles.

To make this possible they called upon recycling professionals Collect-a-Can, The Glass Recycling Company, the Plastics Federation of South Africa, PET Plastics Recycling (PETCO) and Buyisa-e-Bag to assist them in the correct disposal of their waste.

Visitors entering the park are provided with a recycling bag to take with them in their vehicles. Signs at the entrance gates as well as recycling brochures and posters request them to place their recyclable waste in the bags and their non-recyclables in the waste bins around the park. The Kruger National Park’s waste management team collects the recyclable items and sorts them at recycling depots located at various rest camps within the park. The cans and plastics are baled and the glass is placed into bags. Recyclables are then transported to the various recycling companies to be recycled.

Collect-a-Can have been granted a 20-year contract with the Kruger National Park to remove all cans from the park. Steel drink cans (coldrinks and beer cans), aluminium cans (energy drink and imported beer cans) and steel food cans (baked beans, coffee, tinned fish cans etc) are currently processed to be recycled at the park.

“At Collect-a-Can we are dedicated to the realisation of a land where the beverage can exists in perfect harmony with the environment,” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can. “Our work with the Kruger National Park Recycling Project helps us to fulfill this vision.”

For more information contact Collect-a-Can on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can sets sights on Guinness World Record again
8 September 2009

Collect-a-Can are attempting to break their Guinness World Record that they set in 2007. In 2007, Collect-a-Can set the Guinness World Record for “The Most Steel Cans Collected in One Month”. Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager for Collect-a-Can indicated, “We are determined to break the record this year. A whopping 1 971 026 million cans were collected in 2007, which accounted for almost 10% of the total can production in Southern Africa, for 2006. We are calling on all schools across the country to help us to achieve this goal.”

The Guinness World RecordsTM attempt is open to all schools across the country; the record will be based on the number of cans collected during the month of October. Schools are encouraged to register their school at their nearest Collect-a-Can branch. Not only will schools be paid for the cans that they collect, they also stand a chance to win fabulous prizes generously sponsored by Pan Macmillan. MySchool is the initiative’s media partner, ensuring that schools and supporters across the country stay informed and motivated to make a change for the good of our environment. More sponsors are in the pipeline and with so much support from different industries, this year is bound to be bigger and better than ever.

Phomane indicated, “it is important for us to make schools competitions fun yet educational for learners, they need to form healthy, environmentally friendly habits from an early age. Looking after the environment needs to become second nature. If we can educate children and instill the importance of healthy environmental practices they will be able to take this knowledge home with them”.

Since 1993 when ArcelorMittal and Nampak first started Collect-a-Can, it has grown to be the leading recycler in Southern Africa, and currently recovers 70% of all the used beverage cans (UBC) manufactured in Southern Africa. Collect-a-Can thus engages young people in recycling, particularly regarding used beverage cans, which has helped to dramatically minimise landfill space.

With the Guinness World Records association, recycling has never been this much fun, or rewarding for schoolchildren!

For more information on Collect-a-Can and how to get involved in the Guinness World Records project, visit www.collectacan.co.za or call (011) 466 2939.

A Tribute to the Ladies of Collect-a-Can this women’s month
6 August 2009
 
August is women’s month in South Africa.  This is a time for all South Africans to reflect on and pay tribute to the women in their lives, be they mothers, sisters, wives, friends or colleagues. “During this time Collect-a-Can would like to take the opportunity to salute all the ladies working within our organisation,” says Funani Mojono, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can. “Their contributions are greatly valued and they have played an integral part in making the company the success that it is today.”
 
Collect-a-Can opened its doors in 1993 when it was established to focus on the promotion of recovering and recycling used beverage cans and other steel packaging in Southern Africa.  In the predominantly male metal and recycling industry women had to carve out a niche for themselves within the company and they have done so with flair. Today Collect-a-Can employ 25 ladies Nationally across their 8 divisions on all levels.
These women bring colour and warmth to the workplace. They are the carers and the nurturers, the multi-taskers and the organizers, the friendly voices and smiling faces that make Collect-a-Can a fun and inviting place to work.

For more information contact Collect-a-Can on (011) 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za. 

Let Collect-a-Can boost your Stokvel this Women’s Month
3 August 2009

With women’s month in August, Collect-a-Can reminds us of the vital role played by women within the community and how they could benefit from collecting cans for Collect-a-Can.  An ingenious concept employed by community members is that of a stokvel, an informal savings association in which, members contribute money regularly and receive payouts in rotation. Collect-a-Can have built on this concept to offer entrepreneurial women in the community an idea to enhance their stokvel earnings.

Stokvels are group savings schemes that provide for financial assistance as well as social and entertainment needs.  Members contribute a fixed amount of money to a common pool weekly, fortnightly or monthly and each month a different member receives the money in the fund. Money may also be drawn by members in a time of need if authorised so by the group. There is a strong social aspect surrounding these clubs as women organisers hold parties on Sunday afternoons and often wear uniforms and sing popular songs as well as hymns. A profound feeling of ubuntu is created by these clubs as the women are helping to build up not only themselves and each other but are also building up their communities. Nearly half of black adult South Africans are members of stokvels and well over half of stokvel members are women.

The amount of money that can be collected in a stokvel fund is limited by the amount of money that each member can afford to put into it each month.  If the members are able to do some collective fund raising they can increase the monthly payouts or accrue some money for a year-end bonus.  “This is where Collect-a-Can can help” says Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. 
“Collect-a-Can pays cash in exchange for used beverage cans as well as used tinned food cans.  If the ladies of the stokvel pooled not just their collective earnings, but also their used food and beverage cans and delivered these cans to Collect-a-Can they would be able to add the cash earned to their collective savings.”  To take it a step further a stokvel association could consider becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can.  What this means is that they would pay can collectors in the area a reduced rate for their cans and then transport the cans in bulk to the nearest Collect-a-Can depot for pay-out. The Stokvel could even solicit an agreement with entertainment venues, or shopping centres to keep cans for them.This works particularly well in areas where the nearest depot is far away and where bulk transportation would be more economical. Collect-a-Can assists agents by supplying them with collection bags and sometimes even baling equipment. Advice on making can collecting an economical business is readily available.

There is money to be made through can collection and this month Collect-a-Can want to let the ladies in the community know that we are here to help and support you.  So start collecting cans today and help your stokvel payouts grow.

For more information on how to become and agent and the support provided by Collect-a-Can contact Collect-a-Can on (011) 466 2939 or visit www.collectacan.co.za.
 

 Collect-a-Can’s CAN Craze Champions Challenge
21 July 2009 

Winners of the Collect-a-Can’s 2008 CAN Craze competition, Hoërskool Florida in Gauteng are getting ready to defend their title of CAN Craze Champions. Last year the school won the competition for entering their larger than life CAN Craze structure of “Sponge Bob Squarepants” in the competition. This year, to set the mood and to get the learners excited about the next CAN Craze project, some learners paraded around in garments made of cans. 

Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can indicated, “Collect-a-Can launched the CAN Craze competition in 2008, as part of a series of competitions to make collecting cans more fun for the youth. It is important for the youth to understand the importance of collecting cans and recycling, and at the same time to have fun.” 

Schools have until the end of September 2009 to enter the CAN Craze competition. Schools are required to collect a minimum of 300 cans and use them to build a structure of their own design. The winning school will win R15 000! Prizes will be awarded for the most creative structures. There is no limit in the size of the structure.  

Collect-a-Can are calling on corporate organisations to get involved and sponsor prizes for the learners and schools. Phomane said, “Collect-a-Can relies heavily on sponsorships for the success of our competitions and getting the recycling message across country wide. We urge corporate South Africa to please assist us with our initiatives.”   

For more information on the CAN Craze and other competitions being run by Collect-a-Can or to become a sponsor, contact Collect-a-Can on: 011 466 2939 or visit www.collectacan.co.za

PHOTO:  Learners at Hoërskool Florida, proudly parade their garments made out of cans. Learners at the school are getting ready to defend their title of CAN Craze champions. Last year the school won the competition for entering their larger than life CAN Craze structure of “Sponge Bob Squarepants” in the competition. Schools are required to collect a minimum of 300 cans and use them to build a structure of their own design. The winning school will win R15 000! Prizes will be awarded for the most creative structures. There is no limit in the size of the structure.  

Waste is not just waste with Collect-a-Can in KZN
6 July 2009

Building on the foundations laid by the Siyazenzela Waste Management Project in Kwazulu-Natal, Collect-a-Can are assisting the Department of Transport and Msunduzi Municipality in implementing an environmentally conscious and self-sustaining infrastructure of waste management that strives to decrease poverty and unemployment in the area.

The Siyazenzela (meaning we do it ourselves) Project is part of an Expanded Public Works Programme and was launched in April 2007 to introduce a waste management infrastructure in an area where no such infrastructure existed before, while actively engaging the residents of these areas in the process.  Participants collect waste in their area and take it to central depots where municipal vehicles can remove it to landfill sites. In return they are reimbursed with food and vegetable parcels. The concept was introduced by the MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Cele, who had witnessed similar successful projects in Brazil. The project runs in two year cycles meaning that every two years a new group of participants will benefit from the initiative. It is hoped that, when their time working on the Siyazenzela project comes to an end for each group of participants, entrepreneurial skills will have been imparted and they will be able to create their own sustainable opportunities within their community.  

Collect-a-Can have been able to give valuable input to the project by showing the community that waste is not just waste and that there are achievable opportunities and commercial benefits that exist for them in the field of can recycling. Collect-a-Can delivered presentations and demonstrations to the community showing them how to turn waste into cash and the value that lies in a can. 

“Through education and mentorship we hope to empower the people to start collecting cans for their own gain,” says Vincent Zwane, Regional Manager for Collect-a-Can in Kwazulu-Natal.  “We have provided them with the strategy and knowledge and now it is up to them to take on the challenge and make it work for themselves.”

Collect-a-Can will continue to support this community project and hope to be involved in the many others that will follow in its wake.

For more information contact Collect-a-Can on (031) 700-5935 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za. 

Kids get smart with Collect-a-Can and IBM
July 2009

On Thursday, 18 June 2009 excited Grade 0 Learners at the Emaweni Primary School in Soweto took receipt of their IBM KidSmart Early Learning Program that they won during last year’s Collect-a-Can Guinness World Record competition.

Each year during the month of October Collect-a-Can aims to break the Guinness World record for the most cans collected during one month. Collect-a-Can set the record in 2007, and managed to maintain it last year.

Annually Collect-a-Can calls on schools across the country to help them break their record. Last year they introduced different categories to make the competition even more exciting for schools.  “It is important for us to educate the youth about the importance of recycling and to make it a fun experience for them. With the help of our sponsors we are able to make can collecting a lot more appealing for both learners and schools,” says Mathabo Phomane, Head of Marketing and PR at Collect-a-Can.

“We are very grateful for the generous sponsorships we receive each year. For the past two years we have been collaborating very closely with Pan Macmillan and MySchool on the competition,” says Phomane.

Last year IBM sponsored a KidSmart Early Learning Program to the winning school in the Previously Disadvantaged Primary School category. “At IBM it is important for us to strive towards bridging the digital divide and to provide previously disadvantaged learners with the opportunity to be exposed to technology in the classroom from an early age,” says Amanda Mfulwane at IBM.

Apart from calling on schools to get involved in the Guinness World Record competition, Collect-a-Can are also calling on more corporate organisations to get involved and sponsor prizes for the learners and schools. Phomane indicates, “Collect-a-Can is a non-profit organisation and we therefore rely heavily on sponsorships for the success of our competitions. We urge corporate South Africa to assist us with our initiatives.”  

For more information on the competitions being run by Collect-a-Can or to become a sponsor, contact Collect-a-Can on: 011 466 2939 or visit www.collectacan.co.za

PHOTO: Excited Grade 0 Learners at the Emaweni Primary School in Soweto play with their brand new KidSmart Early Learning Program with the assistance of Amanda Mfulwane, Corporate Citizen and Corporate Affairs Project Administrator at IBM.

Emaweni Primary School entered Collect-a-Can’s Guinness World Record competition last year and won the Previously Disadvantaged category for the most cans collected by a previously disadvantaged school during the month of October 2008.

From left to right: Maureen Maseko - Principal at Emoweni Primary School, Mathabo Phomane – Head of PR and Marketing at Collect-a-Can; Abegail Maseko – Head of can collection at Emoweni Primary School and Amanda Mfulwane – Corporate Citizen and Corporate Affairs Project Administrator at IBM assisting the learners with their new KidSmart. Photographer: Lindi Berrino, Reputation Matters

Collect-a-Can Spurs the youth on through soccer
June 2009

Collect-a-Can's Can Man is still excited about the recent Confederations Cup and is looking forward to the 2010 Fifa World cup. While he is patiently counting down to 2010, he decided to pop down to Spur's Soccer Masidlale soccer clinic that is hosted annually by Spur and the Joint Aid Management (JAM).  This is a national campaign, with soccer clinics being run in all nine provinces; involving children from various township schools, not only teaching them ten different soccer skills and disciplines but also focusing on life-skills.
 
"The life-skills programme focuses on planning and goal setting, encouraging children aged between seven and 13 to set goals and work towards reaching them by means of planning. It is run by life-skills project Macsteel Maestros, which also manages life-skills training for Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams,” says Oginga Siwundla, the brand development manager at Spur Steak Ranches. During the life-skills workshop, the Collect-a-Can's Can Man had a chance to also teach the children about the importance of recycling their waste.  "This is a wonderful initiative that Spur is running, and we are delighted to be part of this very exciting project," said Mathabo Phomane, Head of PR and Marketing for Collect-a-Can.
 
For more information: www.spur.co.za/Masidlale/ or www.collectacan.co.za

 
Photographer: Melanie Adams, Collect-a-Can

Walk In and Win with Collect-a-Can
June 2009

Collect-a-Can will be giving away R10 000 in prize money over the next four months to individuals who enter their Walk in Competition. The purpose of the competition is to reward existing can collectors for their efforts while at the same time introducing new people to the concept of starting their own businesses by collecting cans.

Budding entrepreneurs and resourceful individuals have formed an integral part of the Collect-a-Can family since its inception 16 years ago. Through mentorship and guidance, Collect-a-Can have helped collectors acquire basic business skills and even grow their own recovery and recycling businesses. 

The competition will be running from June until the end of September 2009. It will take the form of a mobile campaign whereby SMS and MMS messages will be sent to an extensive database of existing and potential collectors and agents.  Participants need to SMS “win” to 32912 or MMS “cash” to 32912 after which a number will be SMSed back to them. They will then need to bring this number as well as 330 cans to their nearest Collect-a-Can branch in order to participate. At the branch they will be paid for their cans and their name will be entered into the draw where they could win their share of R10 000. Two winners will be announced at the end of every month. Those who have not won will stay in the game and will still stand a chance to win cash over the duration of the competition. SMSes and MMSes will be charged at R1.00 per message. 

Mathabo Phomane, Head of PR and Marketing at Collect-a-Can indicated, “in addition to the competition, a branch tour will be held at all Collect-a-Can branches every Friday from 09h00 to 12h00 for the duration of the campaign.  The purpose of the tours will be to educate interested parties on how the collection and recycling process works and to demonstrate the opportunities that exist when starting a can collection business”.

Can collecting has made a difference in many people’s lives and it could make a difference in yours too. So get collecting, bring your cans in to Collect-a-Can and who knows; you could become a walk in prize winner!

Collect-a-Can has five strategically positioned branches across South Africa. There are also a number businesses operating as agents for Collect-a-Can in areas where there are no branches close by. Agents do not collect cans from collectors but will pay cash for the cans that are brought in to them. However if you want to enter the competition, you need to go to your closest Collect-a-Can branch. 

To locate the branch nearest to you, contact Collect-a-Can on  +27 011 466 2939  or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can joins the world to Combat Climate Change this World Environment Day
June 2009 

Recycling company Collect-a-Can will be joining organisations and governments around the world in recognising and celebrating World Environment Day (WED) again this year

The world will be celebrating the 35th World Environment Day this Friday (05 June 2009), an event that grants every living being the opportunity to celebrate the environment.  

The theme this year is 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'.  WED is an occasion for the world's citizens to commit to building a safer, healthier, cleaner, sustainable world. The event seeks to encourage and further motivate everyone to take better care of the environment.

Since Collect-a-Can’s inception in 1993, it has supported efforts aimed at maintaining a cleaner and safer environment. Mathabo Phomane, Collect-a-Can’s Head of PR and Marketing says, “it is important for us at Collect-a-Can to set an example when it comes to saving the environment. We as a company are doing our bit to reduce our own carbon emissions through our recycling processes.” 

“Waste management represents a key environmental challenge for South Africa and once again we are dedicating ourselves to ensuring that used beverage cans, and consequently tin-plate, exist in harmony with the environment,” says Phomane. In total Collect-a-Can has recovered and recycled more than 750 000 tons of used beverage cans
 
Phomane says the company actively works within the community to support recycling initiatives and have a strong commitment to socio economic empowerment.

Collect-a-Can’s involvement and support in celebrations like the World Environment Day celebration proves how dedicated the company is to curbing environmental pollution and also hope this will serve as an invitation to many other individuals and organisations.

Game Reserve sets waste management example
01 June 2009

Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West has set the example when it comes to recycling waste generated in the reserve.

With the increase in private and commercially-owned lodges operating within Madikwe’s 75,000 hectares over the past few years, Allan and Yvonne McMaster, Managers of the privately owned Bosman Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, identified the need for the management of waste. 

McMaster indicated; “In 2007, we launched the community-based Mmasebudule Recycling project which has grown into a full blown waste management solution. We are delighted at the support that we are receiving from other lodge owners and their management in the Reserve.”

The Mmasebudule Recycling project has received much support from various recycling organisations. One such organisation has been Collect-a-Can who has provided a great amount of support for this initiative. Barry Warren, Branch Manager for Collect-a-Can commented, “we at Collect-a-Can are very proud to be associated with this project, and will continue our support for this very worthwhile community-driven initiative.”

McMaster who spearheaded the project noted, “one of our biggest challenges to date has been the education and transformation of lodges to separate their waste at the source, as opposed to batch processing of all items. Some lodges were quick to adopt colour coded waste strategies and provide very effective internal training; however others are slower in their uptake when it comes to separating waste at the source.”  

Due to the costs involved, and to keep the project sustainable, a recycling levy was introduced, which has been supported by all the stakeholders. This has also allowed the Mmasebudule Recycling project to expand and clean up illegal landfills in the area. 

To date the project has recycled approximately 200 tonnes of glass and over 10 tonnes of cans.  There is also a staggering amount of plastic waiting to be processed and sold, however before this can happen additional materials and suitable land is required for the separation of the different plastics. 

The Mmasebudule Recycling project relies on funds raised from recycling. To get involved or for more information contact, Allan MacMaster on Tel:  +27 083 325 8043  or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Collect-a-Can Embrace Social Networking
15 May 2009

With social networking sites taking the Internet highway by storm, Collect-a-Can have embraced the opportunity of using this new channel to better communicate to the public. Through Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Twitter (www.twitter.com), two popular social networking sites, Collect-a-Can hope to connect with more people, particularly the young and tech-savvy youth market.

Social Networking connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use these utilities to keep in touch with each other, and now they can use them to stay in contact with Collect-a-Can.

While Collect-a-Can already reach a large sector of the public through newspapers and other media, it is hoped that social networking will help them tap into an even wider audience. At the same time the public will be afforded the opportunity to actively interact with Collect-a-Can online. They will be able to ask questions, express their opinions and meet people with a common interest.

The youth market plays an important role in Collect-a-Can’s business with hundreds of thousands of South African school children being reached annually through Collect-a-Can’s School Competition.  In addition, young entrepreneurs are educated about the opportunities to be found in starting their own recycling business.

“We want to keep Collect-a-Can top of the mind and relevant with the youth market,” says Mathabo Phomane, Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can, “and if social networking can help us do so, then we are excited to embrace it.”

For more information contact Collect-a-Can on  +27 (011) 466 2939  or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Collect-a-Can encourages creativity
29 April 2009
 
Need a few ideas to keep yourself busy this long weekend? Are you a poet? or CAN CRAZEy? Why not put pen to paper and enter Collect-a-Can's poetry competition? Entering is easy, all you need to do is write a poem about "My Can, My Environment", and fax it through to  +27 011 466 2941  clearly indicate your name, name of your school, your grade and contact number. The more creative your poem is, the better your chances of winning fantastic prizes for yourself that are up for grabs. The competition is open from April until the end of June 2009. Or, get a few of your friends together and build a structure out of cans, and enter it into the Collect-a-Can's CAN CRAZE competition. Challenge yourself to see what exciting structure you can design using 300 tins! This CAN CRAZE competition ends at the end of October. This is a national competition; for more information on these competitions contact Collect-a-Can on  +27 011 466 2939 to find out where your closest branch is.

Win with Collect-a-Can
21 April 2009

The Collect-a-Can National Schools Competition for 2009 is well on it's way! To date over 170 schools have registered for the competition countrywide and participating schools have already snatched up R39, 200.00 in prize money. In the lead so far, with the most collections to date has been Oasis Association who have collected an astronomical 622 134 cans in Cape Town over February and March. But don’t be daunted by these figures; in North West Province Segwethane Primary School has won R1,000.00 by collecting 42 cans per pupil, which just goes to show that every school stands a chance to win a prize as long as they enter. The competition is open until October 2009, so it's not too late for you to enter the competition.

Winning is easy, all the school needs to do is register for the competition then get the pupils and members of their community involved in collecting as many used cans as possible.  The school that collects the most cans per month in each region will receive a cash prize of R1,000.00. Runner up prizes of R500.00, R200.00 and two prizes of R100.00 are also awarded. Small schools still stand a good chance to win as the same prizes are given away to the school that collects the most cans per pupil each month.

At the end of the year additional prizes are awarded to the schools that collected the most cans throughout the year.

Entry forms for the Schools Competition can be downloaded from the Collect-a-Can website www.collectacan.co.za. For more information on any of the competitions contact Collect-a-Can on  +27 (011) 466 2939 .

Could you be an agent for Collect-a-Can?
25 March 2009

Collect-a-Can is calling on companies across South Africa, particularly those in remote areas, to come forward and join them as agents to assist with the collection of cans in their provinces.
Over the last 16 years Collect-a-Can has made massive inroads into the recycling industry by encouraging entrepreneurs to assist them in collecting used beverage cans and other metal cans for recycling in exchange for money.

Many of these people, particularly those in the remote areas, go to great lengths to get these cans to Collect-a-Can, sometimes travelling hundreds of kilometers to the nearest depot. This is particularly the case in Mpumalanga and Limpopo province where the nearest depot is in Pretoria. Transport costs can be prohibitive and in many cases collectors just can’t afford to get their cans to a depot thus losing out on the income opportunity. Schools that are actively collecting cans in these areas, in their bid to win money for their schools through the Collect-a-Can schools competition, face the same obstacle.
Collect-a-Can has five strategically positioned branches - three in Gauteng Province in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Vanderbijlpark, one in Cape Town in the Western Cape and one in Durban in KwaZulu Natal. However, having agents working with them across the country could significantly increase their reach.

“If we had agents in more of these remote areas” says Funani Mojono, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can, “we could offer more people the opportunity to earn money for their collections while improving their environment and at the same time reducing the number of cans lost to landfills in the area.”

As such, Collect-a-Can are looking for companies who would be willing to partner with them to become agents in their specific areas. Scrap metal dealers, recycling companies or any businesses that are willing and have the infrastructure to assist, are encouraged to get involved. The agents would be helping their community while at the same time benefiting from being part of Collect-a-Can’s network.

An example of such a partnership that has been successfully implemented can be seen in Tembisa where a scrap metal dealer has come forward to act as an agent for Collect-a-Can. This agent will be supported by schools in the area, as well as businesses and individuals who are collecting cans for money. The abovementioned agent will recycle the cans and submit the tonnages to Collect-a-Can but agents could also act as a depository where the cans can be collated before being transported to the nearest Collect-a-Can depot in bulk.

Assistance from businesses that are willing to fund the purchase of storage cages or transport bulk tins to a depot or agent would also be welcomed.

For more information on getting involved or becoming an agent for Collect-a-Can, please contact the Collect-a-Can branch nearest to you.
Collect-a-Can can be contacted on  +27 (011) 466 2939  or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za.

Earth Hour 2009

On 28 March 2009, the world will be taking part in the global initiative known as Earth Hour. This initiative is a global call to action to every individual, business and community, to stand up and take responsibility, and to get involved in working towards a sustainable future.
 
In 2008, 50 million people across 35 countries switched off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour 2009 aims to motivate 1 billion people across the globe in more than 1000 cities to switch off their lights on 28 March 2009 from 20:30 to 21:30 and together take a stand against global warming.
 
We at Collect-a-Can look forward to being part of Earth Hour 2009, and urge all our stakeholders to get involved in this initiative. 
 
This could be the single most powerful demonstration of global solidarity on any matter.
 
Earth Hour is not about saving electricity, it is much more than that- it is a symbolic action to indicate to governments that the people of the world want an effective global climate deal by the end of 2009. 
 
So, please remember to switch off your lights between 20:30 and 21:30 on Saturday, 28 March. 

Collect-a-Can and MySchool forms collaboration
12 March 2009

Collect-a-Can and the MySchool initiative have joined forces to get the recycling message out to more schools and to educate the youth on good waste management practices such as recycling.  
      
Over the past 16 years Collect-a-Can has made great inroads in educating the youth about recycling and looking after their environment. Through Collect-a-Can’s annual Schools’ competition they reach in excess of 1 million learners annually. “We are however continuously looking for more opportunities for Collect-a-Can to maintain this momentum and to reach even more schools so that we can extend our footprint further across South Africa. There are still many schools that are not involved in our recycling programme,” says Funani Mojono, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can. “We are therefore delighted to be forming closer ties with organisations such as the MySchool initiative, so that we can get more schools involved”.
Helène van Dyk, Marketing Manager from MySchool, said that, “We have been working very closely with Collect-a-Can for the past two years specifically on their annual Guinness World Record competition; this year we decided to take it a step further. We believe that there are great synergies between the Collect-a-Can and MySchool ethos, and this is a wonderful opportunity for us to work a lot closer together. We are committed to supporting initiatives that protect the environment and aim to reduce individuals’ carbon footprint”.
My School will support Collect-a-Can as a communications partner for their various schools competitions that are run throughout the year (National Schools competition, Guinness World Record, Can CRAZE, Poetry competition etc.) and will promote the recycling message and educate learners on good waste management habits such as recycling.
“We look forward to a record number of schools registering for all our different competitions this year,” says Mojono.

March 2008, Kommetjie

Recycling is fun and rewarding, especially when it comes to writing about it. Today, two learners from Kommetjie Primary School in the Western Cape,  Thomas Andrews (Grade 7) and Cayla Minnaar-Koehn, (Grade7) were awarded cash prizes for essays they submitted in the 2008 Collect-a-Can, "Recycling is Fun" Essay Competition. The competition was launched nationally in 2008. This year Collect-a-Can is calling on all learners to take part in their poetry competition. Learners are encouraged to write a poem about "My Recycled Can; My environment".  There are many cash prizes up for grabs for the most creative submissions. Schools need to register for the Poetry competition at their nearest Collect-a-Can branch. The competition will be running from 01 April to 30 June 2009.  To find out where your closest branch is and for more information contact: 021 534 7010.

PHOTO: Left to right, Mr. Velensky, Principal at Kommetjie Primary School, Thomas Andrews, runner-up in the National Collect-a-Can Essay competition, Cayla Minnaar-Khoen, third runner-up of the National Collect-a-Can Essay Competition 2008 and Melanie Adams, Assistant Branch Manager at Collect-a-Can, Western Cape Branch.

February 2008, Boksburg

Recycling is fun and rewarding, especially when it comes to writing about it. Last week, two learners from St. Dominic's Secondary School in Boksburg, Lyndsey Strachan (Grade 10) and Ashleigh Hamilton-Hall, (Grade10) were awarded cash prizes for essays they submitted in the Collect-a-Can, "Recycling is Fun" Essay Competition. The competition was launched nationally in 2008. This year Collect-a-Can is calling on all learners to take part in their poetry competition. Learners are encouraged to write a poem about how the management of waste has made a difference to their environment. There are many cash prizes up for grabs for the most creative submissions. Schools need to register for the Poetry competition at their nearest Collect-a-Can branch. To find out where your closest branch is and for more information contact: +27 011 466 2939. 

PHOTO: Left to right, Ashleigh Hamilton-Hall, Runner-up in the Collect-a-Can Essay competition, Mathabo Phomane, Head of Marketing and PR at Collect-a-Can, Mrs. Gous, Principal at St. Dominic's Secondary School and Lyndsey Strachan, Winner of the Collect-a-Can Essay Competition 2008.

Funani Mojono: Leading the Way with Waste Management
February 2009

Since taking over the reigns as Managing Director of Collect-a-Can in November 2007, Funani Mojono has taken the company from strength to strength; this is evident in the recovery rate that has increased from 67.5% in 2007, to 70% in 2008. “In our drive for success we have set out to achieve a great, self sustainable organisation.” says Mojono.
Mojono attributes this success to the partnerships that they have fostered especially within the metal recycling community and with small recycling organisations. While these companies are operating on commercial basis, it is important for them to be made aware of how they are contributing to the elimination of litter by collecting and buying used cans. Collect-a-Can is proud of the knowledge and their best practices that they share with their partners, providing them with advice and supporting them in developing a viable infrastructure. Many budding entrepreneurs have launched their own successful recycling businesses under the mentorship of Collect-a-Can.
Another key driver for this success is greater awareness that has been created pertaining to the importance of recycling. This is an ongoing challenge for Collect-a-Can and interactive communication with their stakeholders plays a pivotal role. Collect-a-Can has mobilized schools through initiatives such as the Schools Competition and has encouraged businesses to take responsibility of their own waste through implementing the Corporate Challenge.
Efficiency and cost effectiveness practices has had great benefits for Collect-a-Can. “We took advantage of the booming metal industry by developing a business model that ensured that the company operated on a break even basis,” says Mojono. This was achieved by looking for a more lucrative market to sell tinplate scrap. More importantly Collect-a-Can revised their briquettes (shredded and compacted cans) contract with BCL in Botswana where briquettes are used to extract cobalt, nickel and copper replacing FerroSilicon.” This is one of the creative ideas from Collect-a-Can in an endeavour to reduce the use of natural resources.
As a member of the World Steel Organisation, Collect-a-Can gets to interact with various countries that play a strong role in recycling. Last year Mojono travelled extensively to observe recycling activities in cities such as Luxembourg, Mexico, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Interacting with role players, Mojono was able to draw comparisons with South African practices. “While we must celebrate our successes, it needs to be noted that South Africa is way behind in providing an infrastructure that makes recycling simple for its people,” he commented. “For us to make significant ground we need to mobilize the whole country. This won’t be easy unless we build the infrastructure for it. In Singapore for example, there are three bins on each street corner making it easy for residents to participate in recycling combined with a very stringent no litter law which even prohibits chewing gum.”
“While local government has started to take waste reduction seriously it is encouraging to see that the private sector is also starting to get involved, particularly in recycling. It would be amazing to see what successes could be achieved if all private sectors came on board and supported the municipality and local government.” The private sector will not be doing this in vain; recycling will eventually contribute towards their carbon foot print reduction. There are already methods being developed for the beverage industry to calculate what their footprint is, given a specific packaging type used.
The past few years have not been without its challenges. The biggest challenge for Collect-a-Can is to maintain a balance between costs required to recover cans, promoting Corporate Social Investment (CSI) through enterprise development, running the Schools Competition and other awareness programs which are not necessarily aimed at generating income and value derived from the sale of recovered cans. Cost containment at Collect-a-Can is a daily phenomenon; it does not depend on the economic situation. This is mainly because everything goes up with inflation while the recovery rate is not necessarily translated into volume increase to counter these increasing costs. Collect-a-Can reinvents itself each year without sacrificing its primary role. Going forward, stronger cohesion between municipalities, recycling organisation, the packaging industries as well as brand owners will be imperative to support multi recyclers, mainly because commodity recycling (e.g. cans only) will not be viable for start up operations.
It is evident that 2009 is going to be tough and the scrap metal and steel industry will feel the pressure more as the steel heavy projects, motor and construction industries (to name just a few), slows down due to the instability of the global markets. “Our vision for the year will be to retain our recovery rate, and when possible increase it as cost effectively as possible,” Mojono says. “There will also be bigger requirements in supporting government initiatives as we prepare for the 2010 World Cup and Collect-a-Can want to be first in line to lend a supportive hand, especially when it comes to devising strategies as well as their implementation. In addition we are also aiming to sustain the pool of entrepreneurs that exists with us today, thereby continue our poverty alleviation role." 



Collect-a-Can gears up for an exciting year!
January 2009

Collect-a-Can is gearing up for another exciting year helping schools across South Africa to raise money for themselves whilst doing their bit for the environment.  The organisation is calling on learners, parents, friends, businesses and members of the community to get their local schools involved and get collecting!

Annually Collect-a-Can gives away more than R250 000 in prize money to schools participating in their Regional and National Schools Competitions. Participating schools are encouraged to collect and deliver as many used beverage cans as possible each month. Not only do schools stand a chance of winning generous prizes, but each school is also paid a good rate for every can it recovers.

The competition has been running since 1993 with an average of 1 million learners participating annually. Through the Schools Competition initiative, Collect-a-Can aims to educate learners to be sensitive, informed, and aware of the importance of recycling for the environment and to demonstrate to them the economic benefits of recycling.
Funani Mojono, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can said that, “to further incentivize learners, we at Collect-a-Can introduced various new initiatives last year to make the Schools Competitions more exciting, and thereby encouraging more participation. Competitions such as the WALL.E, CAN Craze, Essay competition and Guinness World Record, with great cash and computer prizes attracted much enthusiasm and excitement among the learners.  With these exciting prizes from our sponsors we are anticipating a record number of schools entering again this year”.
In the Can Craze Competition schools are required to collect a minimum of 300 cans and use them to build a construction of their own design. Prizes are awarded for the most creative structures, registration opens in January 2009, and the competition will close in September 2009. 
In Collect-a-Can’s Poetry Competition learners are encouraged to write a poem about how the management of waste has made a difference on their environment. This competition is also open for registration in January 2009, competition closes in September 2009.

Collect-a-Can will again be calling on schools nationwide to assist them in their attempt to break their Guinness World Record that they set in October 2007 for the “Most Number of Cans Collected in One Month”. Totaling close on 2 million cans collected, this record was maintained in 2008 and the hope is to break it this year.
Schools will be receiving registration forms and letters inviting them to register for the various competitions via the post. For more information on the Schools Competition, please contact the Collect-a-Can branch nearest to you.



Learners Reap the Fruits of Recycling
November 2008

Ratanga Junction Theme Park was bustling with school learners from the Western Cape, when Collect-a-Can holds the annual Schools Competition Prize Giving ceremony on Friday, 21 November 2008.

Over the past 15 years, Collect-a-Can has inspired learners countrywide to recycle and reuse used beverage cans. Through the Schools Competition, a culture of recycling has successfully been created and it looks as though it is not about to slow down any time soon. The prize giving ceremony that will be held later this week will be to acknowledge outstanding learners and schools for their contribution to recycling throughout the year.

The year 2008 was full of fun and exciting competitions for the learners to partake in. These included the CAN CRAZE Competition, where learners were required to create artwork from used beverage cans, the Essay Competition where learners had to write on the topic “Recycling is Fun”, as well as the competition held in conjunction with the international blockbuster WALL.E as well as the prestigious Guinness World Record Competition.

Next year promises to be full of exciting opportunities for learners to continue in their environmentally friendly drive and to inspire their families and communities to play their part in making South Africa a cleaner country for all.

Collect-a-Can Annual Schools Competition

National Prize Winners
 
1st prize Category 1 = OASIS ASSOCIATION - Cape Town (R25 000)
2nd prize Category1 = LAERSKOOL PROTEARIF - Aeroton (R15 000)
3rd prize Category 1 = SEDIKO PRIMARY - North West (R5 000)
4th prize Category 1 = ROODEKRANS PRIMARY - Aeroton (R2500)
(Category 1 = the most tins collected by the school)

1st prize Category 2 = DIRK POSTMA KLEUTERSKOOL - Pretoria (R25 000)
2nd prize Category 2= PANDA BEAR DAY CARE - Cape Town (R15 000)
3rd prize Category 2 = COLLEGE KIDS - Aeroton (R5000)
4th prize Category 2 = EMISEBENI PRIMARY SCHOOL - Aeroton (R2500)
(Category 2 = the most tins collected per learner)

Guinness World Record

National Winner -
1st prize = OASIS ASSOCIATION - Cape Town
2nd prize = MTHETHOMUSHA PRIMARY SCHOOL - Durban
3rd prize = LAERSKOOL PROTEARIF- Aeroton
 
Guinness World Record - Previously disadvantaged schools category
 
1st prize = MTHETHOMUSHA PRIMARY SCHOOL (Coca-Cola sponsorship of R110 000 for the development of a facility at the school)
2nd prize = RIBA PRIMARY - Pretoria (IBM sponsored a computer for the school)
3rd prize = EMAWENI SCHOOL - Aeroton (IBM sponsored a Kidsmart unit for the school)



Learners Rewarded for Creative Can Constructions
November 2008

Collect-a-Can awarded prize money to various learners at the school who participated in the CAN CRAZE Competition that was held earlier this year. Mathabo congratulated the learners on the structures that they had created out of used beverage cans and encouraged them to continue to make recycling a part of their everyday lives.

The excited learners performed traditional dances and sang their hearts out in celebration. The competition has surely motivated them to become more aware of their environment and to think twice before throwing recyclable material away.

PHOTO: Regina Thekiso (far right), headmaster of Boikanyo Primary School, stands next to Collect-a-Can’s Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Mathabo Phomane, during an award ceremony held recently at the school in Ga Rankuwa. Sitting down is Fathima Khoza, Collect-a-Can coordinator and educator at the school.



Cans Can Get You There
October 2008

Collect-a-Can is a product of ArcelorMittal and Nampak and was started in 1993 to combat can litter lying around on the streets, which was creating a negative impact on the environment. To date Collect-a-Can has made great strides as proven in the latest recovery figures! Seventy percent of all cans manufactured and consumed in Southern Africa are recovered, thanks to the various educational and empowerment initiatives that the organisation has initiated.

Collect-a-Can has continued its ambition to make the public aware of the importance of recycling, particularly through its National and Regional School Competitions. Most recently the “Cans can get you there” 2008 consumer campaign was launched as an initiative to empower people who do not have jobs to start their own businesses by collecting cans. The message behind this campaign was to show that desirable value items like a fridge, mobile phone, microwave etc, are within reach and that ‘cans can get you there’. People are able to earn cash to buy the things they have always dreamed of and can thus improve their lives.

The campaign appeared on the back of buses nationwide, SABC radio stations and was flighted on television as well. Judging by the high caller volumes and SMSs received, the advertising message definitely hit home to many people who are interested in starting their own businesses or those who simply want to earn spare cash.

Over the years, can collectors from all walks of life, all over the country have created an income for their families, put children through school and upgraded school facilities. Others still, have managed to build sustainable businesses and even create employment opportunities, all through collecting cans.

So whether your dream is as small as buying a cellular phone or as big as getting an education, or even starting your own business, “Cans can get you there!” 



Collect-a-Can attempts to break its own World Record
October 2008 

South Africa’s very own Guinness World Record holder, Collect-a-Can, is at it again! Collect-a-Can is going to attempt to break their own world record for “The Most Steel Cans Collected in One Month”, to once again secure their place in the history books.

In 2007 Collect-a-Can partnered with MySchool and Pan Macmillan, and with the help of schools from Gauteng and the Western Cape, broke the world record for “The Most Cans Collected in One Month”, for the month of October. A whopping 1 971 026 million cans were collected, which accounted for almost 10% of the total can production in Southern Africa, for 2006!

Collect-a-Can’s Managing Director, Funani Mojono, remarked about the misperception children have about collecting cans. “They think can collection is only for the destitute and crazy!” he laughed. “Yet as Collect-a-Can celebrates its 15th year, we can testify to the countless number of schools that have taken the lead in can collection. Not only have they benefited financially, but they have also contributed immensely to litter abatement and set the standard for environmentally-responsible behaviour in their communities.”

The Guinness World Record attempt is open to all schools across the country and there are fabulous prizes to be won. IBM, which recently came on board, will be sponsoring a computer as well as an IBM KidSmart computer unit. The IBM KidSmart unit is a PC specially designed for use by learners at pre- and primary schools. The company, working with the Department of Education, has deployed about 750 IBM KidSmart units nationwide, introducing young learners to computer technology at an early age. Once again Pan Macmillan will be offering loads of lovely prizes to award the participants’ hard work. MySchool makes use of their valuable school network to promote the project on ground level. More sponsors are in the pipeline and with so much support from different industries, this year is bound to be bigger and better than ever.

After the auditing process has taken place, various prize giving ceremonies will be held in the different regions, namely Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Johannesburg event will take place on 19 November, Durban on 18 November and Cape Town on 21 November 2008. Schools need to register before 31 October 2008 in order to qualify. However, schools that are already registered for Collect-a-Can’s Schools Competition will automatically be entered for the Guinness World Record attempt.

The Guinness World Record attempt will not only get schools involved in recycling but will also highlight the urgent need to focus on waste management, as space for landfill sites countrywide are fast on the decline. Since 1993 when ArcelorMittal and Nampak first started Collect-a-Can, it has grown to be the leading recycler in Southern Africa, and currently recovers 70% of all the used beverage cans (UBC) manufactured in Southern Africa. Collect-a-Can thus engages young people in recycling, particularly regarding used beverage cans, which has helped to dramatically minimise landfill space.

With the Guinness World Record, recycling has never been this much fun, or rewarding for school children!



Recycling campaign intensifies at school level
September 2008

Collect-a-Can has joined forces with Cobra and Nugget in an effort to extend the message about environmental awareness and recycling. The partnership is aimed at learners in schools in Gauteng. Learners are required to collect and recycle as many Cobra floor polish and Nugget shoe polish tins as possible, which will put them in line to win awesome prizes for their schools. In so doing, they will be learning the importance of recycling as well as getting rewarded for their efforts in helping to preserve the environment.

The Cobra and Nugget Swop & Shine Schools loyalty programme is another way in which Collect-a-Can is extending its environmental awareness drive to school children. With up to 60% of waste that ends up in our dustbins recyclable, it is extremely important that children start learning the importance of recycling from an early age. Collect-a-Can has been running its Schools Competition for years, which has been successful in creating awareness about environmental issues among learners. The organisation thus has the necessary knowledge and experience to add value to the Cobra and Nugget Competition.

“Through our partnership with Cobra and Nugget, we aim to teach people that although Collect-a-Can focuses mainly on the recovery of used beverage cans, there are many other materials that can be recycled, including other different types of steel cans,” said Mathabo Phomane, PR and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can.

Empty Cobra floor polish and Nugget shoe polish tins could win schools fabulous prizes. For every 500 tins collected, schools will receive one of three sport packages of their choice as well as automatic entry into the monthly draws to receive their choice of a monthly draw sports package or R 10 000 in cash.

The five schools to collect the most Cobra and Nugget tins qualify for the final draw and ultimate prize of
R 50 000 cash! So, the sooner schools start collecting, the better their chances of winning big.

With the Cobra and Nugget Swop & Shine Schools Loyalty programme everyone is a winner - the schools and the environment!

For more information on this exciting competition, call Elmarie Beukes on  +27 (012) 348 1937  or  +27 082 880 0010 . 



Belinah does it for herself
August 2008

As Collect-a-Can celebrates 15 years of success, the organization takes pride in its contribution to economic empowerment and litter abatement over the past 15 years. No better example of this exists than the hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and can collectors who have been a part of the Collect-a-Can family for years. These are the people who have, not only made significant contributions in the recycling of cans resulting in effective management of can litter, but have also proved to be aspiring entrepreneurs who have made a positive difference in their own lives as well as those around them. Many of these have been women and as the country celebrates Women’s Month, one particular woman stands out.

Belinah Xaba is a mother of five who lives in Mpola in Kwazulu Natal. She has been an eager can recycler for the past eight years. With both her and her husband being unemployed, they were faced with the daunting task of having to provide for her 5 children, one of which is mentally disabled. She started collecting cans in 2000, after first hearing about Collect-a-Can Ukhozi fm back in the late 1990’s. She did not wait for handouts from anyone but rather took her stand as a woman. She decided that she would use her hands to ensure that her family has enough money to cater for all their needs. Despite the fluctuations in steel prices, Belinah has continued with her can collections and has never looked back. She believes that for as long as she lives, by collecting cans, she is always assured of having bread on the table. “You don’t have to depend solely on a government grant for survival. Everybody can do something to better their lives,” said the humble Belinah.

With the income she has generated from collecting cans over the years, Belinah has managed to raise her children and put them through school. Having used the opportunities provided by Collect-a-Can, Belinah has managed to make a significant difference in her life and that of her family. This Women’s Month, Collect-a-Can recognizes Belinah’s hard work and commitment, as well as her contribution to a cleaner and healthier environment for all. She has indeed proved to be a truly inspirational woman in her community. 



Essay Competition
August 2008

With just three months to go, learners such as Lehlohonolo Mongwe from the East Rand are already hard at work on their entries for Collect-a-Can’s Essay Competition. Learners across the country are taking part in this competition, and the topic is “Recycling is Fun.” The aim is to encourage children to write about their environment and / or any aspect of waste management.

The Essay Competition was launched as part of the Schools Competition, and will be running until 31 October 2008. Great prizes are up for grabs and schools wanting to take part in the Essay Competition need to register with their nearest Collect-a-Can branch.



Can Craze Hits Schools
August 2008

Collect-a-Can’s annual CANstruction Competition is up and running and schools countrywide have taken up the challenge. This year, they are more determined than ever and it looks as though some schools are already going all out.

The CANstruction Competition is yet another initiative by Collect-a-Can to encourage young people to be actively involved in the elimination of litter by collecting and recycling used beverage cans. Schools are required to collect cans and use these to build a construction of their choice. Although a minimum of 30 cans is required per construction, there is no limit as to how big the construction can be.

Florida Hoërskool in Johannesburg seems to be taking the challenge head on. For more than a decade, the school has been building structures out of used beverage cans, as part of their annual Cultural Festival. In this way they have been actively involved in recycling and thus added to a beautiful and sustainable environment. Their aim this year is to build a huge model of Spongebob Square Pants, a popular cartoon character, which is planned to be 5m high and 4.5m wide. They hope to build the structure in exactly 4 days, completing it on 31 July.

Some of these constructions will be on display during Collect-a-Can’s 15 Year Gala Dinner in September, where the organisation’s top executives as well as various industry leaders will get to see the learners’ talent and enthusiasm. Prizes for the most creative designs will be awarded, so the more creative learners get, the better their chances of winning. Collect-a-Can will also pay them for the cans collected.

Schools wanting to take part in the CANstruction Competition need to register with their nearest Collect-a-Can branch. Schools are reminded to have their CANstructions completed by 1 September 2008.



Collect-a-Can Walks The Talk
July 2008

When talking alone is not enough, one needs to walk the talk. This is exactly what metal recycler Collect-a-Can plans to do. Collect-a-Can will be taking part in the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk challenge, which will be taking place from the Marks Park Sports Club in Emmarentia on Sunday, 27 July 2008. Having become the leader in metal recycling over the past 15 years, the company has truly made a difference in the management of waste in South Africa. The aim of the challenge is to further raise awareness of the importance of recycling, particularly pertaining to used beverage cans and different types of metals.

Celebrating the company’s 15 Year Anniversary this year, Collect-a-Can has embarked on various competitions aimed at encouraging learners, parents and communities to recycle used beverage cans instead of throwing them away. In this way, CAC has been encouraging a culture of recycling among school children, with the hope that they will grow into responsible citizens who “think green.”

"Instead of throwing cans away, we want to encourage young people to recycle, which will also help them to earn an extra income," explains Mathabo Phomane, Public Relations and Marketing Manager of Collect-a-Can. "We hope to create a culture of recycling among them so that they can grow up with it," she added.

Collect-a-Can will place branded bins at different points along the route to encourage walkers and onlookers to throw their litter away in them, rather than to leave litter lying around. As a means of empowerment, there will be a special area where entrepreneurs will sort out recyclable waste and give it to the relevant recycler such as Collect-a-Can for all tins and metals. In this way they will earn an extra income while keeping the environment clean. 



Collect-a-Can joins Ster-Kinekor in Exciting New Animation
7 July 2008

Genius…’WALL.E breaks new ground
AO Scott, The New York Times

Metal recycler Collect-a-Can has joined forces with major movie house Ster-kinekor Distribution on promoting an exciting new animation, WALL.E. Released by international film giants Walt Disney on Friday, WALL.E has already become one of USA’s biggest movies. WALL.E is set to hit South African screens on 11 July 2008.

With WALL.E being such a massive Disney/Pixar release, Collect-a-Can and Ster-kinekor Distribution in conjunction with DELL Computers are planning to sponsor an entire COMPUTER ROOM to a school, complete with printer, networking, server etc. The main idea is to encourage the schools, parents and communities to collect as many cans as possible for their school from 15 July to 15 August 2008. The school with the most cans collected per pupil during this time will ultimately win this awesome prize valued at around R250 000. Schools that enter this competition will automatically be entered into Collect-a-Can’s annual Schools Competition.

The animation is about a robot, WALL.E, with one purpose, and that is cleaning up the earth. WALL.E, which stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class, is exactly what his name suggests. He encourages people to preserve the earth by taking measures such as recycling waste. The message behind this movie goes hand in hand with Collect-a-Can’s values on environmental consciousness, having been in the forefront of metal recycling in South Africa and abroad for the past 15 years. 



Collect-a-Can, ABSA Go Green
7 July 2008

School holidays have never been more exciting (and educational) since Collect-a-Can joined ABSA Bank in creating awareness of the importance of recycling among young holiday makers. Since the beginning of the current school holidays, Absa and Collect-a-Can have embarked on a program that is running at various Absa branches countrywide. The aim is to use the school holidays to teach learners to recycle used cans in order to conserve the environment, while also earning extra pocket money.

Over 500 learners aged between 8 years and 18 years of age have gathered at the Absa Towers (branch-not a branch, these are Headquarters) in central Johannesburg this week for the local program. In order to register, each learner had to bring a can, and these were all given to Collect-a-Can. The “Can Man” caused much excitement when he arrived and handed out goodie bags to the ABSA employees’ delighted children, while educating them further about recycling. The Chief Executive Officer of Absa Steve Booysen was also part of the festivities.

Collect-a-Can’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Mathabo Phomane, was excited with the outcome of the partnership. She said that it was a good opportunity for Collect-a-Can to address environmental issues with learners across the country, in a fun and exciting way while also keeping them occupied during their holiday. Collect-a-Can also feels that being able to partner with an institution such as Absa, shows that their efforts were making a real difference. 



Collect-a-Can joins the world in recognising World Environment Day
3 June 2008

Recycling company Collect-a-Can has joined organisations and governments around the world in recognising and celebrating World Environment Day. The world celebrates the 34th World Environment Day on this Thursday (3rd June 2008), an event that grants every living being the opportunity to celebrate the environment.
The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 was "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focused on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, on other ice- and snow-covered areas of the world, and the resulting global impacts.
The host for World Environment Day 2008 will be New Zealand, with the main international celebrations scheduled for Wellington. The slogan for 2008 is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." New Zealand was one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality, and will also focus on forest management as a tool for reducing greenhouse gases.[

WED is an occasion for the world's citizens to commit to building a safer, healthier, cleaner, sustainable world. The event seeks to encourage and further motivate everyone to take better care of the environment.

Since Collect-a-Can was established in 1993, it has supported efforts aimed at maintaining a cleaner and safer environment. For its part, Collect-a-Can has recovered and recycled more than 750 000 tons of used beverage cans.
“Waste management represents a key environmental challenge for South Africa and once again we are dedicating ourselves to ensuring that used beverage cans, and consequently tin-plate, exist in harmony with the environment,” says Funani Mojono, Collect-a-Can Managing Director.

He says Collect-a-Can embarked on various projects that run throughout the year every year.
“Our biggest project is the schools competition, a project that aims to encourage, educate and inform children on the importance of a clean environment, through recycling waste like used beverage cans,” he said.
For the second time this year Collect-a-Can would attempt another Guinness World Record for the most cans collected anywhere in the world. The event would be bigger and better as more companies and organisations are getting involved in the initiative.
Collect-a-Can is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal South Africa (Africa’s major steel producer and producer of tinplate for food and beverage cans) and Nampak (Africa’s largest packaging company and beverage can producer).

Mojono says the company actively works within the community to support recycling initiatives and have a strong commitment to socio economic empowerment.
He says Collect-a-Can’s involvement and support in celebrations like the World Environment Day celebration proves how dedicated the company is to curbing environmental pollution and also hope this will serves as an invitation to many other individuals and organisations.



Collect-a-Can joins national efforts to attract students to choose careers in science and technology
21 May 2008

Collect-a-Can has joined the national effort aimed at encouraging high school learners to choose careers in science and technology. The campaign, driven by the Department of Science and Technology, is intended to attract an increasing number of young people to choose subjects that will stem the outflow of technical skills from the country.

For its part, Collect-a-Can hosted more than 60 Grade 11 learners from Bhukulani Secondary School in Soweto. This was part of the National Science Week, which aims to excite our youth with science at an early age. The pupils went on tour of the Aeroton can recycling plant and learned how cans are collected and turned into another form of material that can be used for other purposes in business. The initiative was in partnership with Sci-Bono, a Gauteng based discovery centre that aims to support education in mathematics, science and technology.

Collect-a-Can branch manager, Thys Oosthuizen, said he was encouraged by the interest shown by the students in the technology used to recycle cans. “We are happy to be involved with students at this age because they get to learn how they can assist in curbing the environmental problem through collecting used beverage cans and through getting involved in recycling projects,” he said.

The tour by the students is one of a series of projects in which Collect-a-Can has partnered with schools. The company has also launches two new school competition projects that are already up and running.

The Essay competition, aims is to encourage children to write about “recycling is fun”. The youth are encouraged to write about their environment and / or any aspect of waste management. The competition is made up of two categories. Category one is open from grade 0 – 7 and category two from grade 8 –12.

The second competition is the CANstruction competition. It aims to challenge children’s creative skills and how they can make artworks from used beverage cans and recyclables. Again, we want to drive the message home to the youth that recycling is fun.

The winning artwork will be displayed nationally and be auctioned at a gala event to raise funds. Collect-a-Can Managing Director, Funani Mojono, said the company was committed to improving its relationship with other stakeholders to ensure that more cans are recovered and recycled.

“My wish is to see every school involved in recycling in general and cans in particular because that’s our business. People must realise that there’s also an opportunity for them to make money by collecting cans and selling them to us,” he said. He said this would assist in cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit in the youth at an early age. 



Collect-a-Can joins the world in recognising Earth day
21 April 2008

Recycling company Collect-a-Can will, on Tuesday 22 April 2008, join organisations and governments around the world in recognising and celebrating Earth Day. Tomorrow the world celebrates the 38th annual Earth Day, an event that grants every living being the opportunity to celebrate Planet Earth.
Earth Day is an occasion for the world's citizens to commit to building a safer, healthier, cleaner, sustainable world. The event seeks to encourage and further motivate everyone to take better care of our planet earth.

Since Collect-a-Can was established in 1993, it has supported Earth Day. For its part, Collect-a-Can has recovered and recycled more than 750 000 tons of used beverage cans.
“Waste management represents a key environmental challenge for South Africa and once again we are dedicating ourselves to ensuring that used beverage cans, and consequently tin-plate, exist in harmony with the environment,” says Funani Mojono, Collect-a-Can Managing Director.

He says Collect-a-Can embarked on various projects that run throughout the year every year.
“Our biggest project is the schools competition, a project that aims to encourage, educate and inform children on the importance of a clean environment, through recycling waste like used beverage cans,” he said.
Collect-a-Can is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal South Africa (Africa’s major steel producer and producer of tinplate for food and beverage cans) and Nampak (Africa’s largest packaging company and beverage can producer).

Mojono says the company actively works within the community to support recycling initiatives and have a strong commitment to socio economic empowerment.
He says Collect-a-Can’s involvement and support in celebrations like the earth day celebration proves how dedicated they are to curbing environmental pollution and also hope this will serves as an invitation to many other individuals and organisations.



A walk down memory lane - Collect-a-Can 15 years on
1 April 2008

During his breakfast show on the first of April 1993, John Robbie from 702 Talk Radio, spoke to the first general manager of Collect-a-Can, Nick Kock, and asked him if the establishment of Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd was an April Fools joke. Today, 15 year later we know it was not.

The company has made enormous strides since that day. Not only has Collect-a-Can been able to prove the sceptics wrong (there are still some of them today), it has grown from a young fledgling can collector to an established brand name on the southern African environmental scenery.

The weeks preceding the launch of Collect-a-Can, new staff members were recruited and appointed, systems were worked out and put into place and offices were prepared to house the new staff complement. Like today, the numbers of Head Office staff were limited to look after key functions.

Everybody had to be briefed about the objectives of the company, what we were setting out to do and why we were doing it. Special briefing sessions were held to ensure everybody, from the receptionist to the financial staff knew what to say when people were phoning in to ask what to do with the cans they have recovered.

The Head Office was based in Industria in Johannesburg, adjacent to a site used by Metal Box (now Nampak) to handle mostly industrial scrap generated in the can making process of their food can division. At the time, used cans were already being handled and processed at the site, although it was not a focused operation. A similar site existed in Silverton, Pretoria and a much smaller operation in Durban.

The main challenge at the time was to set budgets to determine how many cans we were anticipating to recover and the costs associated to it. It was almost a thumb suck operation because used beverage cans were considered to be complete waste at the time. Steel mills did not accept it (because of the tin content) and Iscor (now ArcelorMittal) and Metal Box (Nampak) had to subsidise the purchasing price of the cans because used cans had no value. In addition, there was an enormous backlog of cans lying around in the environment and we did not know how many of these would be recovered. It was quite a balancing act.

The first Chairman of Collect-a-Can, Kevin Robertson, was adamant that we needed to achieve specific recovery rates. At the time we estimated the recovery rate to be about 18% because limited information about used can recoveries was available. The first objective was to get to 25% in the first six months; then 35% a year later and so on until the figure of 50% was set to be achieved in 1996/7. History recorded that Collect-a-Can not only achieved this, but the recovery rate has never dropped since then.

Many things have changed since 1 April 1993. Our first democratic elections were only held a year later; there were no other established recycling focused operations (except for very small operators) in the country; there was not even talk of a Waste Management Bill or global warming, although the first noises about the forming of holes in the earth’s ozone layer had just been made. On the recycling front, scrap dealers did not accept used cans because of its “rubbish” nature and the word e-waste did not even exist.

Over the years all of this has changed.

As part of its commitment to the environment, Iscor started accepting the cans to mix it with other scrap for mild steel production.

We now have a Waste Management Bill in its final stages in Parliament; we have focused glass and plastic recovery and recycling companies; we have a worldwide movement to promote greener living and scrap metal dealers are competing to buy-in used cans.

All of this has contributed to the success of Collect-a-Can. In the beginning we had to negotiate special arrangements particularly with people in outlying areas to get their recovered cans to one of our branches. Nowadays there are scrap dealers buying from them. Collect-a-Can was instrumental in setting up entrepreneurs to handle the can recovery process in some of these areas. Many of these have become multi-recycling companies, handling anything from used cans to paper, plastics and even e-waste.

Funani Mojono, Managing Director of Collect-a-Can has said: "Collect-a-Can's role has also changed in the process and new challenges are ahead. We have adapted to the changing environment and we are committed more than ever before to achieve our vision: "To see a land where the beverage can exists in perfect harmony with the environment."



Foresee : Collect-a-Can's Corporate Challenge
January 2008

The Challenge

Collect-a-Can is looking ahead and foresees much tribulation if South Africa doesn’t start taking recycling seriously and actively start looking after our fragile environment. Collect-a-Can has therefore challenged companies to get involved in a corporate challenge aimed at recycling waste. Companies are challenged to recycle all their wastes, as 2008 is The Green Year.
Not only is Collect-a-Can encouraging steel cans to be recycled, but all recyclable waste, i.e. paper, glass, plastic etc.
The Corporate challenge is set to create awareness within your company. This initiative does not only help to keep the environment clean but it helps South African’s gear up for the Soccer World Cup in 2010. As part of a rainbow nation Collect-a-Can is ensuring that everyone is involved.
This could become an extension of your current Corporate Social Investment in the form of Enterprise Development or as a vehicle to assist schools in fund raising initiatives. We welcome your enthusiasm and interest in this initiative; and have provided you with three options to follow for your recycling initiative.

Option 1: Selected recycling
You can determine which recyclables your organisation generates, e.g. paper, glass, steel cans, plastic. For your convenience, we have provided you with each recycling entities’ contact information, and you can liaise with them directly with regards to the logistics (providing you with bags / bins / collection dates etc.)

Cans
Collect-a-Can
+27 011 466 2939 
www.collectacan.co.za

Paper
Mondi Recycling
Gauteng / KZN 0800 022 112
W.Cape  +27 012 931 5106 
www.mpsa.co.za

Paper Pick-up
0800 022 112
www.paperpickup.co.za

Nampak
+27 (011) 719 6300 
www.nampak.co.za

Glass
The Glass Recycling Co.
+27 011 874 2358 
www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za

Plastics
Plastic Foundation of SA
+27 011 314 4021 
www.plasticsinfo.co.za
Petco
+27 021 788 3025 
www.petco.co.za

Option 2: Soul Foundation

The Soul Foundation® (S O U L = Save Our Universal Land), is a non-profit environmental NGO. The Foundation has developed a sustainable-development licensing model