400 Tons of Glass (over. 1.2 million bottles and jars) successfully avoided landfills thanks to learners across South Africa!
South Africa (28 May 2025) — In a world where environmental red flags continue to present themselves, and people find themselves feeling hopeless in wondering whether their actions as individuals will even make a difference, a great example hails from South African learners. Enough individuals came together as part of a powerful initiative to collect 400 tons of glass; putting more than 1.2 million bottles and jars into the circular economy and away from landfills!
The effort has been dubbed ‘glass acts of greatness’ by the Glass Recycling Company, which initiated the flagship environmental education initiative. The 2024 results are the work of learners across the country; each of whom came together to become teams of change-makers.
Spotlight: Laerskool Kabega
Laerskool Kabega in Gqeberha stood strong as the champions of the initiative; collecting over 43,000 kgs of glass that earned them the coveted title of 2024 Overall National Winner. The school also earned cash prizes for their efforts.
“Glass recycling has had a huge impact on our school,” reflects Kabega teacher Adele Botha. The school first participated in the TGRC School Competition in 2017, and ever since have put their efforts toward becoming champion recyclers.
The financial incentives have helped the schools grow too, sustainably.
“All the money earned through our glass recycling through the years have been put back into improving our school grounds. Through the years we have bought and installed water tanks, we have planted grass along the embankments and sport fields, we have bought picnic tables and benches from recycled plastic to make break times better for our learners.”
Adele adds:
“Through the competition our learners have had the opportunity to do science expo projects, they learn about the circular economy and how we save energy through glass recycling. Recycling glass has bound our teachers, learners and families together by giving us a shared goal.”
But, it takes unity to make the magic happen.
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“Without whole school involvement and our support staff, in particular, we would not have been able to sustain and grow the project successfully each year.”
2024 Schools Recap
The top-performing province was KwaZulu-Natal. Learners collected an impressive 108,608kgs of glass (around 18 elephants weight-wise), followed by the Eastern Cape with 106,202 kilograms (just under 18 elephants), Gauteng with 92,693 kilograms (15 elephants) and the Western Cape with 87,318 kilograms (14 elephants).
Here’s a brief breakdown of the top schools as well as how much they earned in prizes:
Eastern Cape:
- Laerskool Kabega: 43,058 kg and R30,000
- Little Eagles Play & Pre-School: 15,799 kg and R20,00
- Morewag Primary School: 11,805 kg and R10,000
Gauteng:
- Gereformeerde Skool Dirk Postma: 15,014 kg and R30,000
- St. Paulus Pre-and Primary School: 13,938 kg and R20,000
- Over the Moon Childcare Centre: 7,843 kg and R10,000
KwaZulu-Natal:
- Isnembe Secondary School: 26,846 kg and R30,000
- Kloof Senior Primary School: 16,905 kg and R20,000
- Kloof Junior Primary School: 14,877 kg and R10,000
Western Cape:
- Kenridge Primary School: 27,770 kg and R30,000
- Bergvliet Primary School: 24,471 kg and R20,000
- Observatory Junior School: 5,880 kg and R10,000
Timeless Glass
Glass is one of the most effective recyclable products because it will always be recyclable. It can be melted and re-moulded an infinite amount of times without losing its purity or quality!
You can find out more about participating in this year’s Glass Recycling Competition, here.
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