Recycling at Hope Zoo gets JWN Foundation boost
THE PLASTIC bottle recycling programme at the Hope Zoo, ZooCycle, recently received a boost, thanks to students from the Seaview Gardens, Balmagie and Seaward primary schools in Kingston. They donated 6,000 bottles to the zoo during a J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation-organised trip to see the offerings there, done as a part of a post-Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) treat.
“The 6,000 bottles contributed by these children made a great impact on our ZooCycle initiative, as well as on our targets of teaching children not just about taking pride in Jamaica, but also having them access the zoo where we teach them our motto ‘Love Them, Respect Them, Accept Them, Protect Them’. Them, meaning the animals, each other and our environment,” said zoo manager, Rebecca Harper.
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Started in January 2017, the ZooCycle programme allows patrons to receive a 50 per cent discount on the entrance fee to the zoo by donating empty plastic bottles.
“We have collected over 500,000 bottles and counting. We are hoping to have more corporate partners come on board and sponsor the zoo,” Harper noted.
Tanikie McClarthy Allen, director of public affairs and sustainability at JWN Limited, said: “This zoo outing for the GSAT students was part of a fun, yet educational, ‘de-stresser’ for the children”.
“We were thrilled to learn of the ZooCycle programme that provided another option to engage these children while demonstrating to them how they can make a difference in their schools, their communities and Jamaica through recycling,” she added.
The JWN Foundation also took the children for a train ride, as part of the post-GSAT activities.