As leader in environmental excellence Uitenhage based Goodyear has put its money where its mouth is by launching the first community environmental project of its kind in the Eastern Cape yesterday in partnership with The Waste Trade Company and Die Burger.
This initiative, dubbed Project Groenspoor (green track), was launched with a suitable youthful logo at the Albertyn Primary School in Uitenhage – the home of Goodyear’s only tyre manufacturing plant in Africa.
“The goal of Project Groenspoor is to educate the community via schools regarding the value of recycling and the important contribution each individual can make towards a healthier environment. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the waste going to landfill. Our short term goal is to reduce it with 200 tons via schools in the metropole during the next 18 months. Goodyear is the only tyre manufacturer worldwide who maintains a ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy – the company has followed this policy since 2008, says Lize Hayward Goodyear Group Public Relations Manager.
The project will be characterized by three different phases of three months each during the first year. The first phase will entail a competition among schools, starting beginning September. The school that generates the most waste, will walk away with a prestigious floating trophy, a cash prize and a set of locally produced Goodyear passenger or 4×4 tyres. Ten deserving learners across various schools will be dubbed Groenspoor Stars and will be rewarded with certificates and different prizes.
During the second phase the schools will compete for making the best pieces of art from recyclable material. The last phase of the year will include an essay and colouring-in competition among schools. The project will be evaluated after the first year and new initiatives will be identified for the future. The waste collection will however continue throughout all the phases and into the future.
“We already have 58 schools on board, but we want to get all the local schools to participate – there are more than 270 schools in PE and Uitenhage.
“We want to share and help execute our winning strategies among the communities so that we can create good habits and a healthier environment together for all to enjoy. The funds generated from the sales of the waste, will be ploughed back into the schools’ pockets. With Die Burger as our media partner our message will be reinforced, reaching more people on a regular basis,” says Lize.
Alan Straton
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