She's got a lotta bottle!

Schoolgirl Alaia Khalil Rafea is probably the ‘greenest’ teenager in Bahrain after collecting a staggering 2,444 thrown away plastic bottles in a week.

She joined in a school project to help raise money to buy wheelchairs for the disabled and stunned the organisers with her drive and determination to save the environment.

The grade 11 student of the Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School joined around 130 classmates to collect plastic bottles for charity, as part of the school’s International Baccalaureate’s creativity, action and service (CAS) programme.

“I wanted to help play my part and try to get my local community involved,” said Alaia, 16, who lives with her family in Riffa Views. “We recycle at home and my friends and their families do so as well, so that was a good start. At first I approached a few restaurants like Roma Cafe and Senor Pacos and asked them to give me all the bottles they threw away, as well as the golf club near my home – they gave me hundreds and helped me a lot!

“I also visited the streets in Riffa and A’Ali with my brother, Mishal, and sister, Gaia. Our mother would drive us around and we would collect the bottles in big bags. It is amazing the amount people toss out on the streets. People just litter everywhere – it is crazy!”

Thanks to Alaia and her classmates a total of 20,196 used bottles were presented to the Al Areen Lions Club as part of its charitable endeavours to raise money to buy 10 wheelchairs for the Bahrain Association for Parents and Friends of the Disabled.

Fatima Al Khawaja, the school’s CAS co-ordinator, said: “The response we have received for this drive has been fabulous. I think our kids are awesome. I have yet to apply any programme such as this and be disappointed. Every single time, they have impressed us.

“The International Baccalaureate is not only about achieving academic excellence but also growing as a person by engaging in activities related to community service.”

All the plastic bottles will be sent to a recycling factory. In total 10 tonnes of plastic bottles are required, one tonne per wheelchair. A representative from the charity collected the bottles from the school last week.

Yousif K Hubaishi, immediate past president of the Al Areen Lions Club, said: “I was very touched by the huge amount of bottles that the children collected.

“When Alaia told me that she collected bottles from restaurants and off the streets it truly amazed me. It was an exceptional effort – I thought they would only be collecting from their school grounds!”

The school’s involvement in the initiative was suggested by assistant CAS co-ordinator Ellie Harding after she read about the charity drive. Ellie, also from Riffa Views, said: “Coming from the UK recycling is huge and we were confident the students would run with the idea.

“Initially we set them a target of collecting 100 bottles each and were hopeful we would get more than the pitched number. However, we never dreamt the students would do so well. They far exceeded our expectations.”

Ellie Harding continued: “The students were very dedicated and went beyond just asking family and friends to help them – that’s what really impressed us.”

Alaia said she left no stone unturned and wanted to thank her neighbours, friends and the colleagues of her mother, Laura McLaughlin, a teacher at the Madeline’s Pre-School, for their support. Her little sister Gaia, 10, also spread the message amongst her friends.

This experience has inspired Alaia to continue with the campaign with support from the Lions. She said: “I will continue collecting bottles and sending them to the factory.”

Mr Hubaishi added: “We are very happy to keep this project alive and in the near future we hope to host a dinner reception to show our gratitude to the children.”