With cocked up ears – used irons,

Keyboard pads, an assorted butterfly bow,

And a funny tail  from a vaccum cleaner tube,

The year ring from old headphones, it’s  a cutie.

That’s the gorgeous mascot from Sighetu Marmației.

You know whom we are talking about, don’t you? The Recycling Cat, one of the three mascots that got to the final of the current Recycling Patrol edition. To be chosen among the first three from more than 70 contenders is a victory in itself. The Recycling Patrol of the School ”George Coșbuc” in Sighetu Marmației can be very proud that their mascot was in the final and got 1,360 de ”Likes” from fans, on Facebook. 

”Our wish was to use recyclable materials to create a mascot that truly represents this project. The children drew how this mascot should look like, and the result was a very beautiful WEEE Cat.” remembers Mrs. Reghina Dragoș, the coordinating teacher of the Patrol from ”George Coșbuc” who also won the prize for the most active coordinating teacher in Maramureș county. 

Indeed, the Recycling Cat was one of the most inspired ways to make art out of e-waste! Can you imagine how a WEEE store organized by the students of Sighet school would look like? We will not probably see fridges, but bears! 

Mrs. Dragoș says that all merits belong to her students. ”They are the authors of the mascot, they did everything by themselves from the drawings before giving shape to the cat with the help of the recyclable materials to choosing every component”, says she, but we know that such a project cannot be fulfilled without the guidance and inspirational motivation of the coordinating teacher. As any team project, the experience of the mascot design is worth being shared: ”The student loved to get involved. We had a lot of fun, especially since some elements of the mascot raised all kinds of issues, for example what color the cat’s eyes should be or the ears who were extremely used and made the cat look like a rainbow. The whole experience was a delight.” 

The Recycling Cat’s creators had a tough competition, not only at the national level, but also at home, in  Maramureș, one of the counties with the most active recycling patrols, with 31 participating schools and 860 students! 

Against all competition, their activity was noticed and very much appreciated. They won the prize for the most active coordinating teacher in the country and their talent for a representative mascot was commended.

Mrs. Dragoș has sadly revealed that they could not keep the cat as such as they lacked room in the school … We believe that the WEEE cat is still alive, as it is more than an object. It is an idea, a design, a vision easy to copy and an inspiration source. Collect an old TV set, two irons and a small radio, a vacuum cleaner, a pair of broken headsets and the cat will come to life again, anywhere. Moreover, you can try to imagine other characters that could similarly come to life. The holiday is a very good moment for imagination exercises, as well as for collection…