A recycling challenge for the next generation

Bargo local Marjo Hallowell has inspired her three young grandsons to follow her lead in recycling.

With a long history of community involvement and volunteering, Marjo has been recognised with numerous awards, including Wollondilly Citizen of the Year (2022) and the Overall Volunteer of the Year for the South West Sydney/Macarthur region (2023).

This year she has encouraged her grandsons, Eddie (11) Doug (9) and Hugh (7), to make recycling part of their fundraising for the 2024 Great Cycle Challenge for the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in October.

The boys have participated in the Cycle Challenge for several years—and this year they were the very first team to sign up. As well as asking for sponsorship for the kilometres they will cycle in October, they are collecting bottles and cans to raise money through Return and Earn refunds.

“I challenged them to collect 50,000 bottles and cans,” said Marjo. “This is the first year we’ve had a full on blast at collecting—in the past it’s been part of fundraising, but now they’re getting a little older they’re taking on some of the responsibility of collecting containers themselves.”

Through picking up empty bottles and cans themselves, and asking friends and neighbours to save containers for them, the boys are already well over halfway to their goal, which will ultimately net $5000 worth of 10c refunds for medical research.

This would take the total amount Marjo’s grandsons have found raised for charity over the years, through both sponsorship and container returns, to a remarkable $50,000.

“It shows the boys that from little things big things grow, and that large goals can be achieved through lots of small efforts,” explained Marjo. “Every 10c adds up and we have been getting a lot of support from not only friends, but from strangers as well.”

Marjo is still helping out with container pickups and harnessing community support. “I have lots of people saving containers for us,” she said. “Lots and lots of people are giving me a hand—it’s the power of community.”

If you have any empty bottles and cans for Return and Earn that you would like to contribute, just send Marjo a message of Facebook or call on 0413 457 694.