“The hands-on nature of the CAN Craze Competition gets children to interact with the used cans and in doing so, to recognise that what may seem like a waste product is in fact a valuable resource that can be re-used in their artwork and then recycled, prolonging the lifespan of the raw materials and preserving natural resources as well as energy,” says Zimasa Velaphi, public relations and marketing manager of Collect-a-Can.

“The cans used in the building of these structures need to be collected by the participants and are later recovered by Collect-a-Can and processed for recycling. This process demonstrates to schools and learners the environmental benefits of collecting cans and shows them that recycling can be fun,” continues Velaphi.

Participation in the competition can be individual or in teams. Pictures of structures need to be submitted to Collect-a-Can along with a completed entry form which can be obtained from Collect-a-Can branches or from their website www.collectacan.co.za.

This year The Giraffe House Wildlife Awareness Centre in the Western Cape is challenging schools in The Western Cape region to build Gerry the Giraffe (the centre’s living mascot) out of cans. The best Gerry, as judged by Giraffe House, will be put on display at the centre and entered into Collect-a-Can’s CAN Craze competition. The winning school will also win an interactive wildlife show from Giraffe House. Entries will close on 30 September.

To find out more about Collect-a-Can and their activities visit Collect-a-Can’s website www.collectacan.co.za or contact the Collect-a-Can head office on 011 466 2939. Collect-a-Can is also on Facebook, Twitter.