Recycling vuvuzelas?

Readers will recall mention of the vuvuzela in these pages during the World Cup tournament earlier this year.

Well, millions were sold and distributed . . . and now there’s the problem of what to do with them. In an effort to find a solution, a competition was launched, inviting suggestions from South Africans and international visitors. The BBC reports:

Some ideas submitted so far include turning the plastic horns into chandeliers, lamp shades, bird food dispensers and table stands.

The winning design, to be announced later this month, is to be produced and sold through a local retailer.

The vuvuzela reached the world’s attention during the Word Cup which South Africa hosted in June and July.

Competition organiser Jono Swanepoel says designs will be handed over to local manufacturers, who will receive all the proceeds from the sale of the new-look vuvuzela.

“This is ultimately designed to create jobs for crafters out there,” he told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.

Many of the designs were impractical but funny, Mr Swanepoel said.

“We’ve seen quite a few entries of hearing aids; things to magnify the sound on your cellphone if you put it on speaker phone,” he said.

. . .

A prize of 10,000 rand (£916; $1,460) will be distributed among the 10 best suggestions.

There’s more at the link.

Entries for South Africans closed today, but international entries will be accepted up to 25th October. If you have a good idea, why not submit it to the competition’s Web site? You might make some money out of it. If you need inspiration, take a look at some of the suggestions there. They’re quite ingenious – if perhaps impractical!

Peter