Recycling made fun for children

Abu Dhabi: Over 1,000 school students took part in a “Your waste, your responsibility” campaign, organised by Tadweer (Centre of Waste Management — Abu Dhabi), in the capital’s Khalifa Park on Wednesday.

Students aged between 5 and 17 from 50 private, government and special needs schools participated in the event where they learnt about recycling their waste by reusing it in fun ways, disposing of their waste and the importance of a clean environment.

A range of activities including competitions were organised to show children that they can use their imagination to take items that are considered waste and turn them into fun games. Activities such as jumping through old tyres, knocking down large bottles of water and creating art from used paper were used as examples to engage the children and teach them about the possibilities of recycling within their home environment.

Fatima Ahmad Al Harmoudi, project manager for the campaign and Public Awareness Officer at Tadweer, explained the importance of teaching children about disposing of waste in the right way from an early age.

“Today they are kids, tomorrow they are leaders for Abu Dhabi, this is our vision at Tadweer. They will be parents, they will be leaders, they are the ones who will set up the future rules and regulations so, if they understand what their country needs, it will be very good for all of us.”

Al Harmoudi explained that the concept of organising the event outdoors in a park area was a suggestion taken from the children during Tadweer’s ongoing waste awareness programmes. Tadweer representatives visit all schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi through the year and engage the children in their learning plans.

“In the programme that we had between September to December, we asked them where they wanted to participate in activities and they told us they want to go to gardens and beaches. So we went ahead with what they wanted to keep them interested. If we always teach them in classrooms, schools and exhibitions it will be exhausting for them, they will learn better if they are happy.”

“Today in the UAE we talk about happiness, so we can keep them [children] happy and we’ll do it the way they want. They want to learn in a garden, sure we will bring them to a garden,” she added.

A teacher from GEMS Cambridge International School Baniyas who was attending the event echoed Al Harmoudi’s views on the importance of teaching children about the environment from an early age. Speaking about students taking part from her school, she said, “They are very young, seven to eight years old, so it’s a very good hands-on experience for them to see people recycling and to understand the concept of taking something old and making something new out of it from a very young age. It embeds the learning much deeper than it would when it’s just told to them.”