Environment, persons with disabilities addressed in one project

AMMAN — “I collect plastic bottle caps, whether at home or when travelling, I collect them from everyone,” said Hania Kayyal.

Kayyal, a lab director and environment activist, collects bottle tops in a plastic bag, sometimes for months, before she drops them off at Green Wheels, a not-for-profit charity initiative incubated under the umbrella of the Art of Living Foundation in Jabal Amman.

Through the bottle tops she has been collecting for the past three years, Kayyal is supporting people with cerebral palsy. 

“Bottle tops are sold to recycling factories and the proceeds are donated to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation,” Kayyal explained.

“This is a small initiative that is doing great work to support people with disabilities, while at the same time protect the environment,” Kayyal said.

“People are now thinking twice before throwing away bottle caps; knowing that the caps which end up in trash, polluting the environment, can instead be turned into charity funds to support people with cerebral palsy,” Kayyal told The Jordan Times.

Bader Adel, operations coordinator at Green Wheels, said that the volunteering initiative kicked off some four years ago with the aim of supporting children with cerebral palsy by donating funds for their education, medical treatment and the purchase of wheelchairs.

“Green Wheels is a not-for-profit humanitarian, environmental and social volunteering community. We collect plastic caps, lids and aluminum soda cans and sell them to recycling factories to protect the environment and also support children with cerebral palsy and persons with disabilities in Jordan,” Bader told The Jordan Times.

The initiative started with a small community, but has now grown to include over 10,000 volunteers.

“Green Wheels is a sustained effort; we have companies and banks supporting us, in addition to schools and kindergartens, which are the basis of our work,” Bader highlighted.

Individuals drop off the caps and cans they collect at the Art of Living Foundation’s premises in Jabal Amman, Bader said, noting that big companies are supporting the humanitarian effort.

In Umniah Mobile Company, boxes for collecting caps and cans are distributed in every floor and in the cafeteria, according to Wajeeha Husseini, Umniah’s communications director.

“We have been supporting Green Wheels for a year now. Our employees are aware of the effort and they cooperate by placing the cans and caps at the boxes designated for this purpose,” Husseini said.

Husseini said that the company supports Green Wheels out of its corporate social responsibility, underscoring that the initiative advocates for a good cause.

Green Wheels said that there are more than 1 million persons with disabilities in Jordan, urging people to join their efforts “for a better Jordan”.