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