What do The One furniture store and Al Bateen Secondary School have in common? Ring pulls and plastic bags. That’s what. Allow us to elaborate. The next time you’re checking out a funky armchair at The One, observe your surroundings. That unassuming member of staff over there by the stack of cushions is not what he seems. And neither is the lady at the cash desk. What you see is merely their front, their day time alter-egos carefully designed to hide the fact that these men and women are, in fact, Green Heroes.
And so is the little girl in the 6th grade at Al Bateen Secondary School – Aldar Academies. Her name is Alaa Al Quoka, she’s 12 years old and she collects ring pulls. Why? Because she believes she’s not only tidying up the environment but also supporting a good cause.
The cause in question is the Recycle for a Cause Campaign and behind it is Abu Dhabi Cause Connect, who currently have over 40 Green Partners on board, ranging from universities to cafés all over the UAE. To find out how it works we spoke to one of the co-founders, Soffia Diop.
So, tell us how did Recycle for a Cause start?
Recycle for a Cause UAE began in 2011 when Abu Dhabi Cause Connect (ADCC) first saw the beautiful recycled merchandise made by the Philippine Community Fund (PCF).
What is PCF?
The PCF is a UK registered charity that works to free Filipino children and their families from the effects of poverty. Recycle for a Cause is just one of its initiatives to help provide shelter, food and education for these children, who are rescued from living on dump sites. PCF has given men and women skills training to use items such as plastic bags and ring pulls to create high quality merchandise as a source of livelihood. PCF’s recycling facility segregates approximately eight tonnes of garbage a day, and still needs more raw materials to meet their needs for merchandise orders.
How does Recycle for a Cause work exactly?
There are so many recyclable materials that can be transformed into usable products; ring pulls, plastic bags, juice packets. Our city-wide campaign is focused on plastic bag and ring pulls. We collect them with the help of our green ambassadors and individuals, and then our partners and supporters at Etihad send the items to PCF where beneficiaries turn them into a continued source of income. The products are sold in many countries around the world including the UK, Spain and Australia. To buy them in the UAE, you can visit the Recycle for a Cause stand during local bazaars or table top sales.
Approximately how much in recyclable material has been raised for the cause so far?
We have collected around 375,000 ring pulls, which is approximately 94kg of aluminium waste. We have also collected over 3,000 plastic bags which is approximately 38kg of plastic waste eliminated. Our goal
is to collect 1 million ring pulls and 2 million plastic bags.
How much money has this translated into?
So far, the campaign has helped raise the total value of Dhs189,300 for PCF. When we reach our goals, we will have effectively helped raise Dhs1.7 million with trash!
How can the community help?
You can help by collecting ring pulls and plastics bags and taking them to the designated drop-off places. Or you can become the Green Ambassador for your school, university, company or group and help collect these items.
Join the campaign Facebook page for regular updates www.facebook.com/RecycleforaCause or email RecycleforaCauseUAE@gmail.com to get involved.
Two of The One’s Green Heroes
Sandrakumar Sutharshan
Age: 29
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Role: Chef
Ring pulls collected: 16,235
What are your tactics? We gather from our friends.
Why are you taking part in the cause? To help the children in the Philippines for their education, I am so happy to collect each and every ring pull because it benefits their future.
Erma Cabanero
Age: 29
Nationality: Filipino
Role: After Sales Service
Ring pulls collected: 39,398
What are your tactics? I would go around Abu Dhabi with my team to collect these ring pulls.
Why are you taking part in the cause? After hearing the group who recycled these ring pulls, I was challenged and told myself in my own little way I will help the unfortunate children in my country and bring them to school. In this way these children will have a chance to fulfill their dreams and make their life better for themselves and their families.
