Finding a place to donate EcoBricks is becoming harder as many organisations no longer accept public donations, we found out which are still operational and have created a list for you!
South Africa (03 May 2021) – Everyone has an EcoBrick or two sitting at home, waiting to be given to an organisation in need but nobody knows who these organisations are so we did a little digging in 2020 and found a handful to share with you. Since then the list has changed a bit so here we have the updated 2021 list.
We hope this list grows over time, especially as organisations are allowed to get back to changing the world again!
If you are not sure what an EcoBrick is? It is a 2lt plastic bottle that has been filled with cleaned plastics that are not able to be recycled. This helps keep these plastics out of water sources and landfill where they take up space and cause pollution.
What to put inside an EcoBrick
Filling an EcoBrick is really easy. Just put every bit of plastic that is non-recyclable into it. Here are some examples of things to put in your brick(s).
- Plastic Straws
- Plastic Wrap
- Chip Packets
- Plastic from Earbuds
- Old Toothbrushes
- Cellophane
- Old Balloons
- Polystyrene (cut it smaller before attempting to stuff the bottle)
- Plastic Cutlery
Your Eco-Brick needs to weigh more than 500g or be dense enough that it doesn’t buckle under your weight. All the bits stuffed inside need to be cleaned and dry before being placed in the bottle.
How to fill your eco-brick
- Identify materials that are not compostable or recyclable by your local recycling facility
- Clean any dirty items by using leftover dishwashing water and leave to dry
- Stuff your clean and dry materials into any size or shape plastic bottle
- Compress it as tightly as you can with a stick – NB, this is very important!
- Keep doing this until you’ve got a bottle that is as hard as a brick – we will be squeezing your eco-brick to make sure it’s properly packed! If we can squeeze it, we can’t accept it.
- Set yourself goals to phase out these items until you don’t need to use the eco-brick anymore!
If you have EcoBricks to donate, you can take a look at all the places we have found below. Please reach out to the organisation directly to arrange delivery or collection. We have provided helpful links so you can reach them directly.
You can donate to the following confirmed places. These are the only places that we have found that have consented to the sharing of their information. Should your organisation not be listed, kindly email us here and we will update the list.
Ditshego A House of Laughter – Centurion
Address: 165 Lochner Street, Raslouw, Centurion
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170906566391/
BluSwirl Recycling and Waste Management – Centurion
BluSwirl is collecting EcoBricks on behalf of NPOs so should you be an organisation in need of EcoBricks, you can reach out to Anton via email here.
Address: 136 Van Tonder Street, Sunderland Ridge, Centurion
Website: https://www.bluswirl.co.za
Hoërskool Linden – Linden
Address: H.v. 3de Laan en 6de Straat, Linden
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HSLinden/
Khuthaza Foundation – Gauteng
The Khuthaza Foundation has several drop-off points around Gauteng, these can be found via their website here. You will see addresses in Edenvale, Germiston, Centurion, Springs, Greenstone, Randburg and Tembisa. The organisation also allows people to register as a drop-off point.
Urban Canaan – Boksburg
Address: 2822 Dandelion Street, Villa Lisa 1401, Boksburg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Urban-Canaan-105488937555584
The organisation is in the process of building an EcoBrick classroom and welcome donations.
EARTH Centre – Roodepoort
Address: 125 Peter Road, Ruimsig, Roodepoort
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gautengsarda/
Website: https://www.earthcentre.org.za
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