Paper4Trees Project Receives Boost From Bayfair Shopping Centre

Encouraged by the ongoing success of the Paper4trees programme, which began in 2001, New Zealand’s Bayfair Shopping Centre has for the third year in a row contributed to the national environmental project run by the Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust (EERST). To date, 1,701 schools and pre-schools throughout the country have signed up to the major recycling project.

Bayfair Shopping Centre’s sponsorship of the Paper4trees programme has helped support 114 schools and preschools in the Tauranga City and Western Bay District, by funding EERST’s school visits to ensure that they have sufficient resources to continue the project.

Cayley Manson, Paper4trees manager, said Bayfair’s contribution allowed EERST to maintain the programme and expand it into new areas. “Without their support, we would not be able to get bins into schools, and visit them every year, which is a very important part of the project.”

EERST supplies a 30L recycling bin to every room in a school and pre-school, including classrooms, staffrooms and libraries, along with posters, pamphlets, newsletters and other information about the recycling programme. Schools are rewarded with native plants for the paper and cardboard they recycle, with every tonne of recycled paper saving approximately 17 trees.

Bayfair Shopping Centre Marketing Manager Nina Rivett says “the Paper4trees programme is a tremendous way in which children can do their bit to help protect our environment.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Paper4trees programme in what is our third year. Many schools and pre-schools have native tree project areas on their grounds and it is great to see those areas being developed through our help and the Paper4trees programme.”

EERST works with each school and pre-school to manage the recycling programme and organize the delivery of plants. The schools work directly with the local recycling operator or centre to arrange the removal of the paper.

The schools record the amount of paper and cardboard they recycle per annum and in turn are rewarded with native trees for their efforts. Most choose to plant their native trees within their grounds, while others choose to donate their trees to local restoration projects.

Bayfair Shopping Centre management team joined Maungatapu Primary and Bellevue Montessori School earlier this month to help plant their trees at Kopurererua Valley. The local restoration project includes an extensive programme of native planting to enhance views and screen the roadway at key locations.

The Paper4trees project has also been recognised for its efforts, recently winning a Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Award at Parliament in Wellington. EERST picked up the top award in the community action category, for an initiative that rewards schools’ recycling efforts with gifts of native plants.

Since the programme’s inception, participating schools and pre-schools have received about 45,000 trees and recycled more than 88,000 cubic metres of paper and cardboard – that is enough to fill more than 2400 20-foot shipping containers.

ends