The Global Recycling Foundation (GRF) has announced the winners of its Recycling Heroes Competition 2025.

Entrants were invited to submit a 60-90 second video demonstrating innovative ideas to promote recycling, sustainability, educational awareness or waste reduction in their community, school or business.

Videos were judged on creativity and clarity of message illustrating success stories and educational outreach.

The 20 winning entries have won $500 plus inclusion in a press release shared through our global channels.

Additionally, the first 50 winning entries will be shared on all our global channels over the following 12 months.

Marking Global Recycling Day, Ranjit Baxi, Founding President of the GRF, said: “On this Global Recycling Day, let us all pledge to share and promote recycling as an integral part of the Global Circular Economy. The danger is that the circular economy becomes regionalised by overarching regulatory controls and increasing protectionism, instead we must work together to allow free and fair global trade as we are contributing to global environmental benefits."

“We need to promote the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle – as our fundamental drivers. I am heartened by the number of entries in our Recycling Heroes competition which have focused on the use of plastic. They all recognise that we must eradicate single use plastic. 

“Recycling saves over a billion tons of Carbon Emissions each year and these savings need to be translated into easily tradeable Carbon or Plastic Credits. We need to agree on harmonised Carbon Credit methodologies that can be easily applied across all recyclables – plastic, paper, metals, tyres and textiles.”

‘It is high time that world leaders recognise recycling and place it high on the agenda at the COP30 in Brazil as part of Article 6 discussions.”

 
The winning entries are:

Lennart Osthoff | Repartly / Gütersloh, Germany 

Toys up, Netherlands

GreenLite Solutions, Nigeria

Clean Circle Limited, Cameroon 

Going Green Dubai, UAE

Evan J Schwartz of AMCS Group, North Carolina, USA 

Project Kaagaz, promoting Paper recycling by Learning Paths School, Mohali, Punjab, India 

Mosquito-Shield Potpourri, Uganda

Chelmsford College, England

Ittisha Sarah, Founder of Northeast Waste Collective and Director of Azure Lotus Foundation, Assam / India 

Mercy Amarachukwu Abayomi of Ama Shop It, Nigeria

Torre Plstik, Portugal

Sabine Janneck of Circle Cook Island 

Robinsons Malls, Philippines

Safisana, Ghana/Tema

Princes Town West Secondary School, Trinidad and Tobago.

Cartridge Depot, South Africa,

Ecoact, Tanzania 

The Koru Foundation, India 

Erni Suhaina Fadzry of Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council, Indonesia