Dylan Massyn has a passion for saving the environment and one of his very first acts to help the planet was to donate a recycling bike to a man in his neighbourhood.
Johannesburg, South Africa – Dylan Massyn recently launched a project to educate the public about saving the planet. The 8-year-old is hoping to inspire people into making a difference. To start, he decided to make a difference in someone else’s life.
For the last four years, there has been an informal recycler collecting recyclables on their road. Dylan watched every week as the man pushed a heavy trolley up the road, collecting recyclables to earn a living. Dylan was inspired by this man’s efforts. He and his family decided to help the man in the best way.
They designed a recycling bike, specially made to haul heavy loads. The recycling bike pulls a caged structure that holds bags which can be filled with whichever recyclables the person chooses. The bike is much easier on the body and requires less work. The bicycle was designed by the family and manufactured by Johnson Cycle Works in Edenvale by Kim Johnson.
The best part is that the bike allows the recycler to cover more ground and get access to more recyclables. We had a chat with Dylan about his project and his donation.
“Our 1st step as a family was to equip our street collector with the bicycle to allow him to be more productive and generate a better income. It will allow our household to be carbon neutral!” – Candice, Dylan’s mother.
It all started after his mom, Candice, told him that South Africa is listed 14th on the list of ocean plastic contributors. Plastics from river systems end up in the ocean. He was profoundly affected by this information and wanted to do something to help the planet.
Dylan started by informing his fellow school mates about the problem and how they could all be the change. He has started a recycling project at his school so that more kids can get involved. He also wants to create more jobs for those who regularly collect recycling on bin day.
“If every family in the country aimed to be carbon neutral via recycling and job creation the world would be a better place.”
“Our short term aim is to clean our street, then neighborhood and then community. We are trying to inspire more people to start with their own streets and post on Dylan’s Facebook to share the journey.”
You can join Dylan by cleaning up your street and sharing your story with him. You can do so via his Facebook page here.