Pick it Up – Game instructions
Game concept
This card game is based on research conducted with the informal sector (scrap dealers & waste pickers). The following waste categories paper, plastic, metal and glass can easily be sold to local scrap dealers in your area. The items under each category are listed according to scrap value (highest to lowest price). By playing this game, you will learn which items you can segregate and easily recycle through your local scrap dealer.
E-waste should not be sold to a scrap dealer. This waste stream is toxic and should be sent to certified e-waste recyclers.
Non-recyclable waste items end up polluting landfills. We should all make an effort to reduce this type of waste.
Organic waste that is kept separate from other waste is easy to compost. Because 50% of our waste stream is compostable, it is important that these valuable nutrients go back to our farmers.
How to play
Shuffle the cards thoroughly. Deal 5 cards face down to each player. If there are only 2 players, deal 7 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in a stack face down in the centre.
The player to the dealer’s left starts by asking any other player for a specific card. For example, you might ask Rani: ‘In the category organic waste, do you have fruit peels?’ If Rani has the card, she must give it to you and you get to play again. If Rani does not have the card she will say, ‘Pick it up’, which means that you will draw one card from the stack. If the drawn card is the one you had asked for, then you need to show it to the other players and play again. If it is not the correct card, then you keep it and the turn passes to the player on your left.
Attention: A player can only ask for a card from a specific category if they already have at least one card from that category in their hand.
As soon as a player collects 5 cards in the same category, the cards must be put face up in front of the player, so that everyone can see them. The game continues until all the sets of categories have been collected. The player with the most sets is the winner.
Variations of playing the game
There are four different variations of playing the Pick it Up card game.