Ana Rita Mota was the winning designer of the Sociedade Ponto Verde Recicl’arte Competition. The aim was to find an original, creative image for ecobags (bags for separating used domestic packaging).

The competition was opened in April and almost 200 designers submitted original contributions. They had to create an image for three bags based on the three materials for separation: green for glass, blue for paper and cardboard and yellow for plastic and metal.

“I just had to enter! As a designer and believer in the importance of recycling, I felt that I could contribute even more closely to a cause that everyone should embrace,” said Ana Rita Mota. She added that she was “very happy to have her work recognised”.

In addition to a monetary prize of €2,500, the winners\' work will be printed on the 100,000 ecobags that are going to put recycling in vogue.

The 100,000 ecobags will be sent to SPV\'s partner municipal systems, which will distribute them to the public. “We want to facilitate separation at home and create an attractive bag that is also decorative, thereby increasing the number of homes that separate,” said Luís Veiga Martins, Managing Director of Sociedade Ponto Verde.

The entries were appreciated by a panel made of people from Sociedade Ponto Verde, Euro RSCG Design & Arquitectura and IADE creative university. 

According to a survey of people who had never separated waste or used packaging at home, entitled “Household waste separation habits and attitudes 2011”, conducted by Intercampus for Sociedade Ponto Verde, the lack of appropriate receptacles was one of the arguments used most to justify not separating waste.

Photo: Luís Paixão