Infant School Children Join Drive to Collect Plastic Bottles

Students at Providence Heights Infant School in St James are arguably the youngest ‘recruits’ in the growing number of persons making an effort to protect the environment by properly disposing of plastic waste from their space.

A Native American proverb, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, is the linchpin that is driving the environmental awareness and preservation initiative recently launched at the school.

Their Preservation and Maintenance Competition, which forms part of the programme, has ignited unprecedented enthusiasm among the nearly 250 students and staff at the institution.

According to Principal, Carolyn Clarke Brown, “the entire school [community] is turned on by the challenge that we have taken on to become guardians of the environment, and, ultimately, the future”.

Mrs. Clarke Brown is pleased with the results she is witnessing since the programme was launched in March of this year and is convinced that to guarantee the success of any initiative, children must be the front runners.

“They are so tuned in and turned on to protecting their environment that they have actually appointed themselves ‘environmental police officers’ with a self-imposed mandate to ‘arrest’ every PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) bottle that is caught out of its rightful place,” she mused.

“When we are teaching our children to reduce, reuse (repurpose) and recycle, we are essentially empowering them to safeguard the environment that will sustain their lives now and in the future,” she added.

A natural tendency of children that programme organisers have capitalised on is their competitiveness.

“We have received reports of children walking through their communities (primarily Providence Heights and Flanker) collecting plastic bottles from street sides, bushes and backyards. One child reportedly stopped the taxicab she was riding to school and went to pick up plastic bottles she spotted along the roadside. The children are sold out to the project and they have drafted support from siblings, parents and churches,” Mrs. Clarke Brown said.

What resulted was a partnership among the school, the NHT, Recycling Partners of Jamaica Limited (RPJ) and WPM Waste Management Limited, arm of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

Ms. Grey, in saluting the participants, cited their willingness to come on board and the synergy that was forged as they organised and executed the project.

A supporting statement from the NHT’s Social Development Department lauded the organisers and participants for the enthusiasm they brought to the competition.

“What better place to cultivate a culture of environmental maintenance than in an infant school? What an awesome job the children did with their Plastic Recycling Project. A total of 200 children, auxiliary staff, eight teachers and the school leadership, and parents were involved in the competition. An enviable feat,” the statement read.

Customer Relations Officer at WPM, Sharnon Williams, was also pleased with the outcome.

“I am impressed by the level of energy and effort placed in the competition by all involved. This is a proud moment for the Providence Heights Infant School community,” she said.

She reported that plastic containers were collected in two rounds.

The first round, which culminated in March, saw approximately 88.46kg (195lb) of plastic being collected. This figure was outweighed in the second round when 872kg (1,922 lb) were brought in.

At their awards presentation event following their second ‘weigh-in exercise’, prizes were given for the outstanding achievement.

The award for the Top Classroom went to Room 01, which collected 157.85kg (348lb).

Most Consistent Student in all nine classrooms who made the entire school community proud were Room 01 – Jalia Blake, Room 02 – Jemma Parkins, Room 03 – Kenyard Hibbert, Room 04 – AllyAnna Mason, Room 05 – Aaron O’Gilvie, Room 06 – Cianna White, Room 07 – Romaria Rowe, Room 08 – Gavalia Leslie, and Room 09 – Shevon Bartley.

Others who received awards were Most Involved Teacher – Sarah Dehaney; Most Involved Caregiver – Dian Robinson, and Most involved Stakeholder –Stacey-Ann Elliot.

Certificates of Participation were presented to all 110 parents and guardians who took part.

Meanwhile, the Principal is optimistic about the continuation of the project and foresees an expansion, “perhaps with the creation of a vegetable garden”.