Food company Danone NutriDay on April 20 announced Nageng Primary School in Gauteng as the beneficiary of its NutriDay Tubs2Classrooms learning centre, with the company to build a library made from strong lightweight bricks that have been converted from its recycled yoghurt tubs, for the school.

NutriDay’s Tubs2Classrooms programme is an end producer responsibility (EPR) initiative in South Africa, which has brought industry together to see an end-of-life solution for used yoghurt tubs, and to produce a required resource for the community.

One-million used yoghurt tubs will be converted into upcycled bricks to build the 7 m x 7m library and multipurpose room. The library will serve not only the school learners, but also the surrounding community.

The plans for the centre have already been drawn up and construction will soon begin, Danone Southern Africa corporate affairs head Leanne Kiezer tells Engineering News.

Last year, Danone launched NutriDay’s Tubs2Classroom campaign. Eighty primary schools across three provinces collected yoghurt tubs to be turned into lightweight bricks to build a classroom for a school in need.

This campaign set out to educate children about the value of responsible plastic recycling and to drive an active recycling programme in these schools. In January, Danone announced the top three schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, with the most collected yoghurt tubs. These schools received a cash prize of R10 000 each.

Following this, Nageng Primary School has been chosen as the recipient of the Tubs2Classroom learning centre and library.

Nageng was chosen as the winner after the school collected almost 9 000 tubs. Also, it has other sustainability initiatives it is undertaking, such as a vegetable garden, Kiezer informs.

At the ribbon cutting at the school, two students who were sponsible for collecting and cleaning the tubs were also rewarded for their efforts.

“Nageng Primary is recognised as one of the best recycling and environmental schools in Vosloorus. Their achievements in the environmental space have inspired other local schools to kick-start their own recycling and environmental programme.

"This movement is powerful, as we believe that children are important agents of change, influencing good recycling habits in their families and communities. It is our honour to recognise and commend the efforts of Nageng Primary as the best collecting school in NutriDay’s Tubs2Classrooms project in 2022,’’ Kiezer highlights.

“Today, we also officially launch NutriDay’s Tubs2Classrooms collection project for 2023 – repurposing another million tubs this year,” Kiezer says.

This year, Danone will reach another 85 000 learners, working with 100 schools in Gauteng where all collected yoghurt tubs will be turned into a second learning centre.

“Danone would like to extend the opportunity for other organisations to be involved through the donation of books, games and other educational material to support children in their learning environment,’’ Keizer encourages. Interested donors are requested to reach out by sending an email to mediasouthafrica@danone.com.

Kiezer mentions that, while 99% of the packaging material that Danone Southern Africa uses are already reusable, recyclable or compostable, the company is committed to achieving 100% by 2025.

“NutriDay’s Tubs2Classrooms project aims to educate communities about the importance of recycling and stimulate collection. The project showcases that waste has value, teaching learners that by treating waste correctly, we can produce resources for communities in need,” Kiezer avers.

“As a previously disadvantaged and older school, we are always seeking ways to enable our learners with an effective and supportive learning environment. This includes growing a vegetable garden to feed our learners, and recycling at school to help protect nature.

‘’As a school that services children and families who are not able to pay schools fees, we appreciate partnerships that enable us to realise the school’s growth plan and further support the community. The library and multipurpose room that Danone is building for us could not have come at a better time,’’ comments Nageng Primary School principal Lefty Monobe.

“Seeing the potential of a tiny yoghurt tub to change the experience of how children learn is remarkable. I look forward to the campaign expanding its footprint, in which schools across the country can be built using upcycled yoghurt tubs; diverting plastic from landfill and changing the lives of South African children,” acclaims Danone Asia, Africa and Middle East president Christian Stammkoetter.