Sappi ReFibre has just announced its new partnership with Moonprint Concerts for the Earth, a company that facilitates recycling at major concerts and arts festivals. Sappi ReFibre is the recycling and environmental arm of Sappi Paper, one of the largest paper producers in the world.

From the 1st of August, Sappi ReFibre will join forces with Moonprint and Enviromark to recycle all the Old Mutual Music Encounters concerts at Emmarentia Dam in Johannesburg, organised by Oppikoppi Productions. Thereafter they will target the Oppikoppi Festival in Northam. In September the partners will also recycle the Innibos Arts Festival in Nelspruit.

“Sappi ReFibre is proud to partner with the Moonprint Concerts for the Earth to encourage and facilitate recycling at and through important community events including the Oppikoppi Festival, Innibos National Arts Festival and Aardklop Arts Festival. These great events are to be applauded for their proactive stance in support of environmental conservation” says Sappi ReFibre’s National Manager, Anton van Rooyen.  

“Sappi and Moonprint share a common vision to reduce our country’s carbon footprint through recycling and we believe these events provide an excellent platform to call people to action.”

Other major players that have previously joined forces with Moonprint include Enviromark, PFSA, PSPC, Collect-a-can, Mondi Recycling and the Glass Recycling Company of South Africa.  Moonprint is also a member of the Department of Trade and Industry’s RIB (Recycling Industry Board).

Moonprint is a non-profit Section 21 and Section 18a company, and drives a sustainable green portal for continuous recycling and cleanup activities with their co-founder organizations such as Oppikoppi, SAMusic.co.za, Nyana Designs, Veneziano Incorporated and FORR  (Fellowship of Rock ‘n Roll). Moonprint is entirely dependent on donations and sponsorships.

Moonprint Concerts for the Earth launched on 18 April 2009. It’s merely eight months later, and their recycling statistics are through the roof! In this short time, they have surpassed their 2009 goal of 1000 tons of recycling by another 700 tons – equalling a staggering total of 1,700 tons of recycled materials.  

The company (headed by two ordinary women) initially started out to facilitate the recycling of glass, paper, plastic, polystyrene, batteries and other electronics during large events and festivals. Local cleaners are trained beforehand to differentiate between dry and wet waste, after which the recyclables are sorted into the various sectors of recycling.

However, in the mean while, communities such as Ivory Park, Marabastad, Ga-Rankuwa and Mamelodi have also been added to the list of clean up and recycling activities that they facilitate. Other major players have since joined the movement.

Current and confirmed Moonprint clients include Tshwane Metro Council, Loftus events stadium, the SA Air Force, The Pretoria Show, Oppikoppi, Aardklop Arts Festival, the Jacaranda Festival, all Old Mutual Music Encounters at Emmerentia Dam, the Irene Market and the new Jacaranda National Arts Festival. Various schools have been assisted by Moonprint to establish permanent recycling facilities, including Hennops Primary, Centurion High, Nwa Vungani, Oost Eind Primary and Pierneef Primary. Various schools are rolling out in the new year with permanent recycling facilities, due to Moonprint’s involvement.

In short: Moonprint assists entities to recycle, and then as a follow-up, establish permanent recycling facilities to help people in the region to recycle their own household waste. Moonprint also visits schools, facilitates their recycling and organises tree planting days with the help of Trees4Schools.

To summon up Moonprint’s recent recycling activities and partnerships:

-        They have recently received the contract from Tshwane Waste Management to be their official recycling partner for the whole of Pretoria/Tshwane. This operation will hopefully be in full swing by July, 2010

-         They are also writing their Recycling plan and renew their Waste Management plan, last reviewed in 2005

-        They’ve also asked us to assist with 2010 since the recycling plans for FIFA are not fully in place

-        They have secured all the Loftus stadium events (rugby, soccer, music, etc)

-        They have renewed their partnership with Greenpeace and will announce their collaboration next year. Moonprint was Greenpeace’s first ‘pet project’ in Africa

-        They have secured the contract for the Air Force Training College (already rolled out and  busy with the training), and will also in April 2010 roll out to the rest of the Air Force bases, starting with Waterkloof and Zwartkops

-        Nasrec/Expo Centre in Jozi wants Moonprint to assist with all their recycling at events, including the Rand Show

-        They did their fifth major clean up on Saturday 12 December – this time in Ga-Rankuwa together with Tshwane and the Ga-Rankuwa Youth Environmental Forum and Afriforum.

-        The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has joint forces with Moonprint Concerts for the Earth to introduce a major recycling and empowerment project in Ivory Park (an informal settlement to the north of Tembisa).

-        Moonprint and the Ivory Park project will be on e-tv on January 13^th 2010. NYDA should be there as well, since this is a joint venture

-        Moonprint and the EMC – an energy reduction company – have also joined forces to create a greener energy footprint

Moonprint’s recycling activities are supported by The Glass Recycling Company of South Africa, Mondi Recycling, Collect-a-can, Petco (plastics) and PCPS (Polystyrene) as well as the Plastics Federation of SA. Its service providers include Be Green, Greenwise, Jahmy Recycling and the Pretoria Glass Recycling Company.

Moonprint is a non-profit Section 21 and Section 18a company, and drives a sustainable green portal for continuous recycling and clean up activities with their co-founder organizations such as Oppikoppi, SAMusic.co.za, Veneziano Incorporated and FORR  (Fellowship of Rock ‘n Roll). Moonprint is entirely dependent on donations and sponsorships.  

Other green partners include: Ripples for good, SOAPkidz and the Pretoria Green Market.

Clean-up dates before and during Clean SA Week 13 – 18 September 2010

 City Tshwane and Moonprint Concerts for the Earth have pledged our joint support to the World Environmental Month by organizing, among other activities, a bundle of clean-up actions throughout the Tshwane region during the month of June.  

This Saturday, August 21^st, volunteers will tackle Mamelodi, departing from the Nwa Vangani School.

The remainder of the clean-up dates (some already passed) are:

These dates will be seen as a build-up for the Clean SA week

09/08/10            BLOCK H  Shoshanguve

13/08/10            BLOCK X extinction Mapopane                                       

18/08/10            Arcadia  and CBD Sunnyside                                                             

20/08/10            Mamelodi (Denneboom and Solomon Mahlangu Square)    

25/08/10            Olievenhoutbosch            

27/08/10            Hammanskraal (Refilwe) St. Camellias School Ward 74    

31/08/10            Eersterust                                            

Moonprint will be actively involved with Tshwane on the following dates:

21 Aug              Mamelodi – Nwa Vangani (Moonprint school) 

28 Aug              Laudium – Councilor Essop will be present. Hot spots: Agra Street, Bengal Street, Emerald Street, Cuprene Street, CBD Block around Taxi Rank area, Tangerine Ave around Community Library area.

16 Sept             Attridgeville – Maunede Street (about 5 hot spots in this street) – Councilor Ramboa will be present.

Furthermore, Moonprint and SoapKidz are Green Awareness Partners and we join hands when it comes to educating our young. 

  11 September 2010: 07h30 till 16h00. Official hike starts at 8h00: Walter Sisulu Environmental Centre, Mamelodi

Moonprint will facilitate the recycling of glass, paper, and plastic, polystyrene and cans whilst volunteers from the areas and Tshwane will help with the general cleaning up of the hot spots. Greenwize Recycling will actively collect the recyclables.

All public volunteers are welcome to join Saturday’s clean-up event taking place between 09:00 and 13:00.  

Please remember sun block, casual shoes and clothes that can get dirtied.

 This major clean-up initiative is endorsed by the Executive Director and Director of Tshwane’s Waste Department, Ms Qaphile Gcwensa and Ms Dipsy Mohlaba, respectively.

The Plastics Federation of SA, Enviromark and PETco are providing plastic bags and Afriforum is sponsoring food parcels for the volunteers. Councillor M. Dichabe will also take part in this event

Moonprint’s recycling activities are supported by Sappi ReFibre, Enviromark, The Glass Recycling Company of South Africa, Mondi Recycling, Petco (plastics), Plasfed, PSPC (polystyrene) and Collect-a-can.  

Additional information is available on Moonprint’s Facebook page.

*Moonprint is a company that assists large events and organisations to recycle, and then also to establish permanent recycling facilities to enable people in the region to recycle their own household waste. Moonprint also visits schools, facilitates their recycling and organises tree planting days with the help of Trees4Schools.

Moonprint is a non-profit Section 21 and Section 18a company, and drives the first tangible, sustainable green portal in South Africa, bringing together events, artists, the public and waste recycling companies – and is actively involved, hands-on, with continuous recycling and clean-up activities on the ground.

Their co-founder organizations include Oppikoppi Productions, SAMusic.co.za, Veneziano Incorporated and FORR (Fellowship of Rock ’n Roll).