By Jim John
More than 1,000 students from Kiunga Secondary School in North Fly District of Western Province recycled plastics to decorate their classrooms as well as creating pillows, bags, clothing and beds made of empty water bottles and plastics.
In commemorating the World Environment Day with the theme, “Solutions to plastic pollutions,” students involved in creative activities that strengthened their learning capacity in creating useful items using plastics.
Kiunga Secondary School Head of Science Department Sammy Jonne said one way to reduce plastic pollution is reusing them to create safe and clean environment for all.
“We can create useful items by reusing the plastics. If we continue to throw and burn them, pollution is affecting our lives, so let’s be creative and take care of our environment,” he said.
He told the students that inventing beds and pillows using empty water bottles can be used at the health facilities in Western Province if more consideration and well inventory plans are achieved in the province.
“Health centres are lacking with beds and pillows and patients admitted do not sleep well. We can make such items to help the health facilities with innovative ideas,” he said.
A student participant Carlyne Harry said, “using plastics to decorate classrooms brought pleasant learning environment where students used their skills and abilities to reuse plastics.”
“Decorating the classrooms was good and all our teachers were happy about it. Most importantly, we all should be responsible in saving the environment,” she said.
Another student Isaiah Thomas said, individual persons should dispose plastics properly at home, towns and villages that could save the environment.
“We depend heavily on environment because we get water, food, air and many more resources from it,” he said.
Mr Thomas said students should inform their family members, friends and others the importance of environment and the effects of human activities on nature and the people.
