Government school kids turn discarded plastic into utility objects

Ashwanth G, a member of CTC, said he was pleasantly surprised by the children’s enthusiasm. “Sometime during the last year, we decided to start creating awareness on the harmful impact of plastics among school children. We wanted it to be a fun, informal session. So, we used visual aids – pictures of the plastic trash on Marina beach and turtles stranded in plastic waste during nesting season – to inform the children about the harmful impact on the environment. 

The pictures had an instant connect with these kids. A fun interaction with the children revealed that they were quite aware and keen on tackling the problem. For instance, when we asked them to list greener alternatives to plastic objects they use daily, they came up with interesting suggestions as well as economic ones,” pointed out Ashwanth, who works at DesiCrew Solutions. The awareness session was followed by a competition, where the kids had to upcycle and reuse plastic. Ashwanth said, “We covered five schools so far – Thoraipakkam Govt school, Sholinganallur Govt school, Perumbakkam Govt school, Maraimalai Govt school, Pallavaram, MGR Govt school in KK Nagar, and a tuition centre in T. Nagar. 

We received close to 120 entries – recycled pencil cases, multi-purposes boxes and even a plastic robot! We were glad when the children promised to do their bit in small ways, like using cloth bags for grocery shopping instead of plastic covers. The Headmistress’ of these schools were very supportive and we are planning to make this a regular activity in the upcoming calendar year.” 

Dhanalakshmi, Headmistress of the Thoraipakkam Government School, said the children’s creativity came to the fore, while also discussing sustainable options for the future. “It was an unforgettable session, where children were encouraged to use discarded plastic to create something useful. This helped them use their creativity to make a difference. As a teacher, it was very important for me. We will surely be open to organising more sessions in the next academic year,” she concluded. Govt