Collaboration JRA entre a Escola Básica e Secundária de Sobreira (Portugal) e a St Joseph School, Silema (Malta)
Artigo escrito pelos alunos das turmas A e B de 8.º ano (disciplinas de Ciências Naturais e Inglês) conjuntamente com escola de Malta - Collaboration JRA entre a Escola Básica e Secundária de Sobreira (Portugal) e a St Joseph School, Silema (Malta).
Let us not suffocate in our
own Waste!
The “Agrupamento de Escolas de Sobreira” is
located on the South of the Paredes county and its influence area corresponds
to the parishes of Aguiar de Sousa, Recarei and Sobreira. Its location in a
still rural area and the proximity to the big urban centers with their
industrial tissue allow the profiting off and exploration of the best
characteristics of each of these environments. If on the one hand one can value
the preservation of local cultures and traditions and the preservation of
nature, on the other hand one can promote the contact with the urban culture,
the new tendencies and the more cosmopolitan habits, that allow the respect for
cultural diversity. The three parishes correspond to 40.7% of the Paredes county
area, being the three largest in terms of territorial area, which means some
dispersion of the students ‘living places.
(Adapted from the Educational Project of Agrupamento de
Escolas de Sobreira)
In the opinion of the students, the problem of waste at a local level in the Municipality is not as serious as at a national level. However, the following aspects were highlighted:
In the opinion of the students, the problem of waste at a local level in the Municipality is not as serious as at a national level. However, the following aspects were highlighted:
·
Low awareness of locals about the problem of waste – garbage thrown to
the ground.
· Flaws in the cleaning of public places.
· Flaws in the cleaning of public places.
- Flaws in the collection of waste.
- Low rate of waste separation by the population.
- Low coverage rate of waste collection and separation containers.
- Lack of information and awareness from the population- there continue to
exist large objects abandoned on the streets - mattresses, furniture, etc. –
despite the existence of specific lines to ask for their collection.
- Pollution and waste accumulation in River “Sousa” and on the surrounding
spaces.
- Lack of sanitation.
- Generically, the low awareness of environmental problems by the
population is also referred.
The group of schools in Sobreira and the
Municipality have been committed to improving this environmental problem.
At the municipality level, there has been a
large increase in the number of Eco points over the last year and there has
been a concern with the increase in the supply of equipment to improve the rate
of waste sent for recycling, as shown in the table below.
The accessibility rate of the selective
collection service is of 63% and the coverage rate of ecopoints per population
240 pop/hab.
Chart 1: Waste collection in the municipality/county of Paredes
As for the school, students report being increasingly more careful and highlight the following aspects of improvement at the school level: The importance of the environment club, Eco Club, as a space for awareness and concrete actions to reduce waste.
• We always try to collect garbage, which, however, is not always fulfilled by everyone.
• The Existence of more Eco points.
• At our school, we always try separate waste.
• At our school we always try to recycle - not always achieved.
• We reduce the use of plastic - highlighting the replacement of plastic bottles for glass bottles, with an average saving of 700 plastic bottles per month.
• We collect used cooking oil - a company collects all used cooking oil from the school canteen.
• We collect batteries - Eco-batteries.
• We collect plastic packaging to reuse in the seedling of native trees.
• We collect bottle caps for solidarity campaigns.
• We collect Corks.
• We promote solidarity campaigns to collect clothes, stationery for school, toys.
Image 1: Reuse of packaging as a pot in the germination of oak and cork acorns.
Regarding the waste problem, we analysed possible new ideas and proposals for improving the Environment at the local level and specifically at our school:
• Annual plantation of native trees at school and in areas affected by fires;
• We took a study trip to Lipor (the largest recycling centre near our area)
• Using the composters from school in a more effective way, for example with the daily deposit of the leftovers from the canteen and using the compound in the school garden.
• Recycling promotion activities.
• Raising the awareness of students about the use of the correct Eco points for garbage.
• Promoting lectures on the environment.
• Photographic exhibitions that value riverside fauna and flora.
• Promoting a day for school waste collection and in the surrounding area together with campaigns to reduce the use of plastic and paper.
• Increasing the number of clothes collection/exchange campaigns.
• Increasing the Eco point coverage rate by the municipality.
Similar to the school in Portugal, our school in Malta does a great deal of work in order to reduce the waste problem within our community.
• We separate and recycle waste.
• We collect organic waste.
• We collect used batteries.
• We reduce our plastic consumption by encouraging the use of re-usable containers.
• We collect bottle caps for solidarity campaigns.
• We encourage the intelligent use of fashion items.
• We organize regular presentations to encourage the reduction of waste.
• We participate in activities where seeds are sowed in order to have germination and the growing of new plants.
Unlike the school in Portugal however, our school is situated in a very busy urban area. The school building is situated right in the middle of a shopping centre, surrounded by fashion outlets and eating places.
Our interest in the reduction of waste took us on a journey outside our school, where we explored our neighbourhood and found that most eating places do not support the collection of organic waste. Moreover, it was noted that food waste is rampant in such places, sometimes having barely eaten meals thrown wholly away. It is for this reason that we undertook a study that focused on Food Waste.
It has been one year seven months since the Maltese Government introduced organic waste bins in each and every household in Malta. The schemes’ target is to encourage people to sort their rubbish a choice. EU figures published in 2018 showed that household waste in Malta stands at 647kg per person, which is a lot higher than the European average which is that of 480kg. Most of the food waste in Malta occurs due to lack of planning or thinking.
During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, while our schools were shut down and while we were being isolated in our houses, we wanted to investigate how food waste varied during this time.
Our EkoSkola Outreach Committee conducted a survey amongst our school community regarding the generation of food waste at this time of the pandemic. These pie charts displayed below show results the results obtained.
1. Store food correctly as improper storage leads to a massive amount of food waste due to premature ripening and rotting.
2. Pickling, drying, canning, fermenting, freezing and curing are all methods one can use to make food last longer.
3. Compost organic materials which can be added to soil to help plants grow. Making compost keeps food waste out of landfills where they take up space and release methane.
This change towards the reduction of waste is definitely not a simple one, and there are so many problems that need to be tackled. However, with appropriate education, environmental awareness and environmental consciousness, we can definitely start the process of living a more sustainable lifestyle.
As for the school, students report being increasingly more careful and highlight the following aspects of improvement at the school level: The importance of the environment club, Eco Club, as a space for awareness and concrete actions to reduce waste.
• We always try to collect garbage, which, however, is not always fulfilled by everyone.
• The Existence of more Eco points.
• At our school, we always try separate waste.
• At our school we always try to recycle - not always achieved.
• We reduce the use of plastic - highlighting the replacement of plastic bottles for glass bottles, with an average saving of 700 plastic bottles per month.
• We collect used cooking oil - a company collects all used cooking oil from the school canteen.
• We collect batteries - Eco-batteries.
• We collect plastic packaging to reuse in the seedling of native trees.
• We collect bottle caps for solidarity campaigns.
• We collect Corks.
• We promote solidarity campaigns to collect clothes, stationery for school, toys.
Image 1: Reuse of packaging as a pot in the germination of oak and cork acorns.
Regarding the waste problem, we analysed possible new ideas and proposals for improving the Environment at the local level and specifically at our school:
• Annual plantation of native trees at school and in areas affected by fires;
• We took a study trip to Lipor (the largest recycling centre near our area)
• Using the composters from school in a more effective way, for example with the daily deposit of the leftovers from the canteen and using the compound in the school garden.
• Recycling promotion activities.
• Raising the awareness of students about the use of the correct Eco points for garbage.
• Promoting lectures on the environment.
• Photographic exhibitions that value riverside fauna and flora.
• Promoting a day for school waste collection and in the surrounding area together with campaigns to reduce the use of plastic and paper.
• Increasing the number of clothes collection/exchange campaigns.
• Increasing the Eco point coverage rate by the municipality.
Similar to the school in Portugal, our school in Malta does a great deal of work in order to reduce the waste problem within our community.
• We separate and recycle waste.
• We collect organic waste.
• We collect used batteries.
• We reduce our plastic consumption by encouraging the use of re-usable containers.
• We collect bottle caps for solidarity campaigns.
• We encourage the intelligent use of fashion items.
• We organize regular presentations to encourage the reduction of waste.
• We participate in activities where seeds are sowed in order to have germination and the growing of new plants.
Unlike the school in Portugal however, our school is situated in a very busy urban area. The school building is situated right in the middle of a shopping centre, surrounded by fashion outlets and eating places.
Our interest in the reduction of waste took us on a journey outside our school, where we explored our neighbourhood and found that most eating places do not support the collection of organic waste. Moreover, it was noted that food waste is rampant in such places, sometimes having barely eaten meals thrown wholly away. It is for this reason that we undertook a study that focused on Food Waste.
It has been one year seven months since the Maltese Government introduced organic waste bins in each and every household in Malta. The schemes’ target is to encourage people to sort their rubbish a choice. EU figures published in 2018 showed that household waste in Malta stands at 647kg per person, which is a lot higher than the European average which is that of 480kg. Most of the food waste in Malta occurs due to lack of planning or thinking.
During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, while our schools were shut down and while we were being isolated in our houses, we wanted to investigate how food waste varied during this time.
Our EkoSkola Outreach Committee conducted a survey amongst our school community regarding the generation of food waste at this time of the pandemic. These pie charts displayed below show results the results obtained.
1. Store food correctly as improper storage leads to a massive amount of food waste due to premature ripening and rotting.
2. Pickling, drying, canning, fermenting, freezing and curing are all methods one can use to make food last longer.
3. Compost organic materials which can be added to soil to help plants grow. Making compost keeps food waste out of landfills where they take up space and release methane.
This change towards the reduction of waste is definitely not a simple one, and there are so many problems that need to be tackled. However, with appropriate education, environmental awareness and environmental consciousness, we can definitely start the process of living a more sustainable lifestyle.
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