Andrea Chothia
The simple bread tag can help change the life of a disabled person – half a million tags are enough to raise money for a wheelchair, Mary Honeybun, 81, has proven.
The Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, founder from Noordhoek spends her days filling bread bags with tags. One bag takes 3 330 tags weighing 1kg.
The tags are recycled into items such as coat hangers, picture frames and seed trays, commonly found at nurseries.
It takes about 200kgs of tags for one wheelchair to be bought, Honeybun said.
“Sometimes my bath is filled with bread tags.”
Honeybun said her granddaughter’s school had been collecting bread tags. Interested, Honeybun wanted to know why.
In 2006, Honeybun did research and found that the simple bread tags were of high market value, once recycled.
People have heard about the collections via the internet, their local churches, pharmacies and schools. Avid collectors would deliver them to their nearest collection points.
Honeybun said local collectors would drop off their tags at the Wynberg Pharmacy, as it was in a central location, but there some people who dropped them in Noordhoek. The pharmacy also provided most of the wheelchairs when it was time for them to be bought, Honeybun said.
She currently has list of 14 people waiting for wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are either dropped off in Noordhoek or recipients may collect them in Wynberg, she said.
Honeybun has five good friends who devoted their time to helping her sort through the tags once they arrive.
“We sometimes find things like buttons and paper clips in the collection bags and it can damage the recycling machines.”
Theresa Lawrence, 60, from Ocean View visits Honeybun regularly to help her sort through the tags and pack them away.
“I love helping her, and I have even gotten my family to start collecting,” said Lawrence.
Honeybun has had as many as 68 wheelchairs in her house at one time over the last eight years, and she has given way over 600 appliances.
”I say appliances because these have included walking frames as well,” said Honeybun.
Honeybun and her volunteers have this year alone sorted out about three tons of bread tags.
A resident from Johannesburg sends her tags weekly and about 15 Australians send theirs’ every four months she said.
“I am so thankful for all the help,” Honeybun said.
As collections points were established they were added to Bread Tags for Wheelchairs’ website so collectors can find out where to drop off their tags, she said.
For information visit www.breadtagsforwheelchairs.co.za or e-mail Lorna Norris at [email protected]