We all know that recycling is the right thing to do, but many of us still brush this responsibility aside, and when we are told again and again to recycle, the message loses its impact. Perhaps public recycling awareness campaigns need different leaders nowadays. Ones that will persistently and passionately drive a message into the public domain, that will land with people and spark a change in behavior towards plastic recycling. Who are these leaders?

“Our children, the bossy little humans in our lives, are the ones we should be listening to. By recycling at home, we are collectively taking action to protect the environment for their future generations,” says Patricia Pillay, Chief Executive Officer at Polyco. “We learn so much from our children. From changing our social media passwords to connecting our phones to a Bluetooth device, they seem to have a solution for everything. It’s time for us to return the favour and recycle our plastic!”

Through their Million Plus campaign, Polyco works with many schools across South Africa with the goal of getting one million South Africans committed to recycling their plastic waste. Among school children, the message around recycling is very quickly integrated into their daily routines. Often children become recycling ambassadors who will actively take a message and aim to instil this habit at home with the rest of the family. It is now up to us to listen to them.

“We are so used to receiving the same old recycling messages; keep plastic out of the environment, separate your waste types, clean recyclables and ensure that bins are placed outside in time for collection. While this may be just enough for some of us to change our recycling habits at home, others still seem to brush it off,” says Pillay.

Following National Recycling Day on Friday, 16 September, Polyco wanted to share this message on behalf of the younger generation - who want to show us that recycling is actually a very simple thing to do. “Just rinse it, split it, and drop it outside on collection day – it’s even easier than accessing all your dance songs on your smartphone,” a direct message from the kids in one of Polyco’s heart-warming, short feature videos. Watch them here: www.millionplusrecyclers.co.za

“While National Recycling Day and Month is a great public awareness campaign, household recycling needs to continue throughout the year. We use plastic on a daily basis; therefore, our recycling habits should match this,” says Pillay.

Help Polyco with their goal of getting one million South Africans to recycle their plastic waste by simply sharing these videos with your friends and family. “Our kids have something to say, help them share their message,’ concludes Pillay.

To find out more about Polyco, visit their website www.polyco.co.za