Straits Times 12 Jul 08;
PUPILS from 130 primary schools could soon be scouring the island for plastic bottles and tin cans in a bid to save the planet and raise money for less fortunate classmates.
The pupils will receive $2 for every kg of recyclables under a new scheme funded by the charitable arm of property giant CapitaLand.
In all, the CapitaLand Hope Foundation is looking to give out $1.75 million by June 30 next year in return for 875,000kg of paper, metal and plastic - the equivalent of saving 13,500 trees and enough energy to run 400 television sets for a year.
The money will go towards school uniforms, textbooks and breakfasts for thousands of needy pupils. The top three schools with the largest haul will bag an additional $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
Senior Minister of State for Education and National Development Grace Fu praised the programme, called Green for Hope, at its official launch on Thursday.
'To a generation that is growing up in prosperity, it is important that we teach the values of empathy and compassion,' she said.
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