The Uitenhage Lions Club recently embarked on a project to assist in cleaning up the Despatch area.
The project co-ordinator, René Van Zyl, said that the idea originated from her desire to improve the environment.
“I thought that people would participate more readily if an incentive is provided and Trash to Treasure was born.”
The project encouraged residents from the Reservoir Hills area to bring bags filled with trash to the Despatch Primary School where they could be exchanged for different items.
“We had donated items ranging from food, toys, stationery, clothing and household items,” Van Zyl said.
She added, “The majority of these were donated by private individuals and businesses from the Despatch area.”
Lions Club President Tanja Erasmus is full of praise for the overwhelming support received for this project.
Erasmus said, “The principal and staff of Despatch Primary were completely behind the idea and went out of their way to assist. We also found amazing support from local businesses OK Minimark Protea, Despatch Superspar, Handy House, La Rochelle, and New Era Leaflet Distribution.
“The trash collected was removed for recycling by Noziqhamo Recycling. Our deepest gratitude goes to all of them and the private individuals too numerous to mention.”
Van Zyl said, “We were completely blown away by the response from the community. A total of 916 filled garbage bags were contributed by 463 people. This could have been higher, but we ran out of treasure! It means that almost a ton of trash was removed from the neighbourhood by the residents.”
Van Zyl believes that the success of the inaugural Trash to Treasure project has encouraged the Lions to conduct similar projects on a regular basis. “We will help to clean up one trash bag at a time,” said Van Zyl.
The Uitenhage Lions Club invites anyone interested in lending a helping hand and making a difference in their community to contact the organisation via Facebook at Uitenhage Lions Club.
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