A non-standard metal structure for the separate collection of plastic bottles was installed in the 11th OU “Konstantin Konstantinov” in the city of Sliven. The attractive bear-shaped facility aims to increase students’ interest in environmental protection and encourage them to recycle. This is the second in a series of metal plastic animal figures that have been installed as part of the Sliven Recycles project. The project is implemented by the association “United Future”, Sliven, – one of the finalists in the fifth edition of the Lidl Bulgaria initiative – “You and Lidl for a better life”.
“Our goal is to grow the network of households that recycle regularly. With this construction, we want to more actively reach the young part of the population and test how the idea is perceived in the school environment and thank the school management for the attention they have devoted to the topic of ecology over the years. By increasing citizens’ interest in this topic, we believe that local authorities will also pay more attention to the current problem with the lack of viable alternatives for efficient separate collection of waste. Our aspiration is to make the separate collection of waste a popular and mass activity,” shared Krasimir Donchev, founder and member of the Board of Directors of the “United Future” association.
Each of the metal structures on the project has the capacity to collect between 5-20 kg. plastic bottles, according to the size of the figures and whether the bottles are crushed or not. Until the end of November 2023. the next metal figure, which will be in the shape of a dinosaur, is expected to be installed in the city. The non-standard forms of the constructions aim to attract not only adults to the cause, but also to engage young people and children with the topic.
In addition to the construction of the structures, from November 2022 to date, eight large actions for separate collection of plastic have already been carried out within the framework of the project. Thanks to these actions, the local community managed to collect 2,670 kg, which in volume is equal to 18 large bags of crushed and sorted plastic.
The “Sliven recycle” project was realized thanks to Lidl Bulgaria’s largest socially responsible initiative “You and Lidl for a better life”, in partnership with the “Workshop for Civic Initiatives” Foundation and the Bulgarian Donor Forum.
