Collect plastic bottle caps to help children battling cleft palate

DID you know your plastic bottle caps can change the life of a child?

Fair Cape Dairies and Operation Smile teamed up with local libraries and shopping centres three years ago to collect and recycle bottle caps and raise funds for life-saving operations.

This year Girl Guides have joined the quest to make a difference to the lives of these children by attempting to break a Guinness World Record on April 4 by making the world’s longest string of plastic bottle lids.

This will take place at the Old Mutual sports ground and all are welcome to come along and help break the record by bringing bottle caps. There will be entertainment, stalls and food trucks, so bring a blanket and make a day of it. From 8am to about 5pm.

“We love the way people have embraced the concept of collecting bottle caps, and even taken it a step further,” said Louis Loubser, Fair Cape Dairies CMO.

“We look forward to seeing that world record smashed and, more importantly, to raising awareness of the need to help children born with cleft lip or palate.” Every three minutes, a child somewhere in the world is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. They are often unable to eat, drink, socialise or smile. These children have twice the odds of dying before celebrating their first birthday, and in as little as 45 minutes a surgery can change their lives for ever.

“When we heard about Operation Smile’s work with children who have cleft lips and palates, we realised we could do something practical to help,” said Loubser.

“The plastic we use to make our bottle caps is easily recyclable, and bottle caps are easy to collect and store,” he added.

The aim is to encourage the public to collect plastic bottle caps from Fair Cape Dairies products as well as any other plastic bottle caps.

Each operation costs R5 500 and every kilogram of bottle tops collected will be recycled.

Independent auditors will ensure that 100% of the money raised will go towards paying for the vital surgery.

Bottle tops can be dropped at the municipal libraries in Sea Point, Belville, Bothasig, Cape Flats/Athlone, Helderberg/Somerset West, Brackenfell, Goodwood, Parow, Fish Hoek, Observatory, Rondebosch, Pinelands, Table View as well as Table View Mall. Invite your libraries to join as well.

For further queries please contact Ursula on ursula@conversations2.co.za