Local waste management business Interwaste’s ‘Tops to Tags initiative’ – which has run since 2011 – will now be called Give2Green and will focus on encouraging corporates, schools and community programmes to collect and exchange bottle tops, aluminium cans and white office paper for sanitary pads or wheelchairs that will be distributed to those in need. 

“The Tops to Tags programme, which has been a resounding success, saw us donate over 1 000 wheelchairs to worthy recipients, as well as divert over 400 t of waste from landfill disposal.

“However, to align to changing market needs and evolving waste legislation and, of course, the need to be at the forefront of promoting women’s health, education and empowerment to improve the lives of women and girls in our country, we have taken the next step in this journey,” Interwaste human resources director Rajas Pillay says.

“We believe that Women’s Month is a perfect time to launch Give2Green – a month where we not only highlight women’s triumphs, but their barriers as well. Access to sanitary pads is one such barrier.

“For too many women, and girls, the lack of access to sanitary pads has led to absenteeism in schools, and at work, which affects their education and income-generating activities – all of which has a negative impact overall on economic participation,” Pillay emphasises.

The Give2Green programme will work on the same premise as before, where recycled waste will qualify for the participant to either donate a specified number of free sanitary pads or a wheelchair to a cause or beneficiary of their choosing.

However, bread tags no longer form part of this programme – and so for 250 kg of bottle tops or white office paper brought in, 60 packets of sanitary pads will be donated. Similarly, 50 kg of aluminium cans will directly relate to 60 packs of sanitary pads being donated.

In terms of wheelchairs, these can still be obtained through the recycling of either 500 kg of plastic bottle tops, 120 kg of aluminium cans or 550 kg of white office paper.

There are the various Interwaste drop-off points where recyclable materials can be taken countrywide – 23 Shepstone road, New Germany, Durban; 2 Brammer street, Industries East, Germiston South, in Gauteng; 10 Bosch street, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga; and 6 Montreal drive, Airport Industria, Cape Town.

The basic steps for the Give2Green initiative are to collect as many bottle tops, aluminium cans, and white office paper as one can, and deliver these to Interwaste branches on Wednesdays or Thursdays from 8:00 to 12:00.

Weighing will be done on-site at the Interwaste depots.

If all is in order and stock available, collection of the pads or wheelchair can be done within two weeks.

“We believe that through adding the donation of sanitary pads to the Give2Green programme, we can help remove an economic barrier for so many women and allow them to allocate their limited resources to other much-needed necessities, while still focusing on our core business of waste management and the encouragement of a circular economy.

“By embarking on this initiative to facilitate environmental sustainability and socio-economic upliftment, we can collectively make a difference,” Pillay highlights.