Cape Town - The City opened the Sustainable Trendsetters Build-a-thon at Blue Route Mall where learners from 12 schools competed for R20 000 in prize money from Coca Cola Peninsula Beverages in celebration of World Earth Day on Saturday.
The build-a-thon is a competition to decide which school can create the best sculpture out of recyclable waste and was hosted by Redefine Properties, the managers of Blue Route Mall, and Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages to raise awareness and motivate residents to rethink their relationship with waste.
The learners excitedly sifted through heaps of waste to create sculptures and spread awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
External judges selected by Blue Route Mall will judge the structures and announce the winning school by the end of this month.
Passionate about the environment and sustainability, Redefine regional marketing and alternative income manager Bronwyn Rabie said they have made many important changes in the way the property operates over the past few years; from working towards being a plastic-free mall to notable improvements in building and operating procedures.
The mall manages to recycle, on average, 90% of waste including glass, tin, plastic and cardboard, she said, while hazardous waste is disposed of within the regulations and with required certification thereof.
“We were so encouraged by last year’s results and so proud to be making a difference to raise awareness for such an important topic that we couldn’t wait to host the Sustainable Trendsetters Build-a-thon again.”
Blue Route Mall encouraged the public as well as family members and friends to support this initiative and their favourite team by sharing the news on Facebook or Instagram. The sculptures will be on display until May 3 for shoppers to enjoy.
Urban Waste Management Mayco member Grant Twigg opened the event “With business, government and our country’s youth all working together, there is real hope for a cleaner and healthier environment in future… It is also encouraging to see a producer of waste play such a leading role in promoting recycling.”
Twigg commended the corporations for this effort to foster a more waste-conscious society, and said that this was an effective way to demonstrate that what gets thrown into landfills has value and can be turned into something beautiful.
