Raising recyclingawareness

Mrs South Africa finalist Michelle Hayworth is pictured with pupils at the Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard.

Sea Point resident Michelle Hayward is planning to make a change in her community through environmental work.

Ms Hayward is a 2019 Tammy Taylor Mrs South Africa finalist and she visited Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard on Friday September 6 to teach pupils about the importance of recycling.

This is an initiative by Mpact Recycling together with Tammy Taylor Mrs South Africa pageant, a women’s empowerment programme, for the fifth consecutive year to raise awareness about recycling and supporting fund-raising initiatives and increasing recycling volumes.

Each finalist has a target to generate 2 tons of recycling at the schools and communities that they visit. The initiative allows schools and communities to raise funds, as they are paid for their recyclables, while teaching environmental awareness, responsibility and sustainability.

Ms Hayworth said she chose the school because the school was the only one that needed the help on the Atlantic Seaboard. She said this school is in desperate need of increasing their recycling volumes and raising funds.

Ms Hayworth said she’s always been passionate about the environment. “I spend so much time at the beach and seeing so much trash floating past always makes me so sad,” she said.

She said she’s always wanted to enter a pageant that makes a difference in communities’ and people’s lives. She said she was tired of
negativity from people about the country. “So many people are leaving the country. This will give me a voice to tell people that they need to be more positive about their country and not just pack and leave but rather stay and make a difference,” she said.

She said she doesn’t think that society knows enough about recycling and we’re not doing enough. “It’s good to see the schools getting on board and getting involved teaching kids from a young age,” she said.