Recycling workshop inspires children in the Wartburg district-garbage becomes a raw material!

Recycling workshop inspires children in the Wartburg district-garbage becomes a raw material!

In the Wartburg district, an innovative environmental education initiative was launched, in which children and young people were able to experience up close how waste can be transformed into valuable raw materials. From the end of August to the end of October, the plastic recycling mobile of the nature conservation organization Save Nature Group toured through numerous schools and kindergartens in places such as Bad Salzungen and Gumpelstadt. The aim of this campaign was to bring the importance of waste avoidance and the functionality of the ecosystem.

The children and adolescents took part in various activities in which they collected garbage from their surroundings, separated them and shredded the plastic components using a bicycle shredder. The plastic snippets were then heated and shaped objects such as rulers. It was particularly impressive that each child received their own specimen that they had made themselves.

Important support from Arjes GmbH

The successful implementation of this program was enabled by a generous donation from Arjes GmbH, a mechanical engineering company from the Krayenberg community. The proceeds from a machine auction flowed into the financing of this environmental education campaign. The management of the company was very interested in supporting local projects for environmental education and found the right partner in the Save Nature Group.

Martin Priewe, marketing manager of Arjes, expressed: "The plastic recycling mobile and the practical work of the Save Nature Group go perfectly with our company for recycling technology. We are proud to make the important topic of recycling for our children in the Wartburg district tangible and tangible". Many parents have already given positive feedback that their children gained a better understanding of waste separation and recycling through this project.

The recycling mobile not only conveys theoretical knowledge. It also teaches the students how harmful plastic waste can be. An example made it clear that simple packaging needs over 200 years to decompose completely and microplastics can get into the environment during this process. Such direct approaches enliven the topic of recycling and give the children responsibility for their environment.

The Save Nature Group is active in all of Thuringia and, in addition to plastic recycling, also carries out other environmental education projects, including retaining and maintaining orchards. The financing of these projects is often through funding and school support associations, which shows how important environmental education one wants to give a voice today.

The response to the plastic recycling mobile was consistently positive. The initiative impressively shows that environmental protection can also be integrated into the everyday life of children. "A little idea has developed into a large, sustainable project, from which everyone involved benefits," continued Priewe. This initiative illustrates how important it is to raise awareness of recycling and environmental protection at an early stage and to learn the topic in a playful way.

Overall, the plastic recycling mobile has given important impulses for a more sustainable way of thinking in the region and sensitized the next generation to how it can actively contribute to avoiding waste and protecting the environment. More and more such projects could be crucial for how we, as a society, deal with our resources in the future.