Plastic Tops for Love
Without a question you have to be innovative and creative when you belong to the “Lion´s Club”. Something that used to work thirty years ago may not work nowadays or simply may not be attractive for the young people. The Lion´s members have to be updated and find out what society really needs. Especially we need to find a kind of activity that is useful to raise money as well as the kind of services to provide.
A few months ago the Vice governor of my district, Mr Eduardo Fernández, realised that in France a very successful and profitable activity was being carried out. So, he thought it could be applied to our District since it is something that the District 116-A Castelldefels Lion´s Club is already doing. All you have to do is save all kinds of plastic tops to be recycled.
What is more important about this activity is the fact that it does not generate any costs at all to the Club or any of its members. At the same time we are doing something positive to preserve the environment. It is all about getting people not to throw the plastic tops away, but to save them and give them to us. After that, we send them to a recycling company to be used in the production of other articles.
Where do we get our benefit from? We get paid €240.00 per ton of plastic. All this money is then invested in purchasing wheelchairs for the disabled people. As well as negotiating the price per ton of plastic, Eduardo negotiated an exceptional price to buy wheelchairs: a third of the normal price. The cost of a wheelchair with it's warranty for us is €130.00 (the normal price is over €350.00) and for electric wheelchairs is €1700.00 (the normal price is over €5 500.00)
I have to say that my Club, Mijas Lion´s Club, has already put this into practice. Although Mijas is a very small town, the results have been surprising. Many bars save the plastic tops for us. Many neighbours bring plastic bags full of them and there is even an old lady who comes every morning to my shop with three or four tops.
As you can see this programme has plenty of positive things:
- It is an activity that gives an economical benefit.
- We are cooperating to improve a serious environmental problem.
- We have the possibility to help a group of people in need.
- Above all, we are carrying out an activity that integrates the community.
E-mail: C.Leones_T.Mar@adrescotur.e.telefonica.net
PDG Luis Domínguez Calderón
C/ Málaga, 2
29650 Mijas (Málaga) - España
Tel. +34-952.48.62.03 Fax. +34-952.59.05.76
E-mail: cl-mijas@spain-lions.net
