Have your say! Why take part in Monacollecte?

The participants shared their feedback with us on the very first Monacollecte.

Even if the Monacollecte is very brief, it is still very useful. In addition to the stands dealing with recycling waste, participants have the opportunity to get rid of certain items that have become useless in their daily lives. Rather than throwing away objects that are in good condition, just because they are no longer used, you might as well give them to people who need them. This action also helps protect the environment.

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Charity stands took part in Monacollecte on the Port Hercule esplanade. © Jerome Vinette

Géraldine, who is retired, came to bring some clothes and household appliances for the charities. “I’d rather give them away than foolishly throw them away. I often go to garage sales. This lets me get rid of things I no longer have a use for, and make some people happy. People need to realise that throwing objects out is not the only solution. The Earth is already too polluted, we need to act now! Everyone can make a small gesture and help by giving, sorting, and above all consuming less. There’s no point buying things that are going to sit in the bottom of a cupboard.”

“There should be other collections like this”

Geneviève, also retired, thinks the collection is an “excellent initiative”. These small actions can provide a great service. “I’ve never thrown things out. I give them either to friends who need them, or to charities like these. A pratical example: children’s clothes. Children grow really quickly. So rather than getting rid of them, I give them instead to families with children or to people who volunteer for charities for the underprivileged.”

Toys brought by passers-by for the “Mission Enfance” charity at Monacollecte. © Jerome Vinette

A big collection like this is a very good way to raise young people’s awareness about recycling waste and solidarity. Camille is a stay-at-home mum. She came to Port Hercule with her two young children. “I came today because we are a family that does a lot of recycling. We buy a lot of things at the Mission Enfance or Monegasque Red Cross clearance sales. As a parent, I try to educate my children from an early age. Here, they will see for real how we can recycle different materials and give away objects that are still useful instead of them ending up in the countryside or in the bin.”

At the virtual reality stand, where passers-by, including a class of high school students, took part in a recycling game, they all have just one thing to say: “Wow!”. After all, virtual reality can be quite surprising.

To encourage the public to take part in waste collection, a Cliink stand helped visitors learn about its loyalty programme. For each piece of recycled waste, registered members get points that they can use in several businesses in Monaco. This caught the attention of some passers-by, like Mariana, a resident in the Principality. “I already give to collections and I recycle throughout the year. It costs me absolutely nothing. I was also told that there are several places where I can use the programme’s points. I plan to download the app.”