Nea Smyrni teaches children the importance of recycling

It has launched a competition to encourage primary school students to sort waste

The Greek municipality of Nea Smyrni is teaching young students how to sort waste and protect their environment. That is, the Deputy Mayor of Cleaning and Recycling George Krikris proposed to launch a recycling competition in the city’s primary schools.

According to the Greek news agency dimarxos.gr, Nea Smyrni’s 7^th Elementary School was the first to implement Krikris’ idea. If the school’s competition proves to be successful, the city will ensure that all other primary schools become involved in the municipality’s efforts to teach children the importance of recycling.

Recording the weight of waste

The city’s 7^th Elementary School has added special digital bins with scales that record the weight of recycled waste. Taking this further, every class in the school has been assigned its own code which they will use when sorting waste under the guidance of their teachers.

These codes will allow the school to monitor the performance of each class so that it can then reward the three classes which have achieved the best results; in other words, the students that have recycled the most materials will win the competition.

Krikris reportedly commented on the goals of this competition, noting that it will teach children the values of a circular economy. Moreover, the Deputy Mayor further explained that the competition will also allow the municipality to study what type of waste (as well as how much of it) schools produce.

Children have responded with enthusiasm

The students at the 7^th Elementary School have welcomed this competition, viewing it as a fun and interesting game. What is more, some parents have shared that their children have even begun to sort waste at home. As such, it is evident that the competition is effectively teaching students how to protect their environment.

It must be noted that the municipality will also hold workshops to teach both parents and children about the climate crisis. Through these actions, Nea Smyrni proves that it is committed to the creation of a green and clean city.