ABOUT 30 young students of Gizo SDA Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Western Province recently got the opportunity to hear about the negative impacts of plastic.
Under a project called ‘One Less Plastic Bottle Project’ an awareness team was able visit the little ones to share the bad things that plastic is doing to the environment.
The awareness was conducted by an environmental team from the Western Provincial Health Authority along with the non-government organisation team called ‘One Less Plastic Bottle Project.’
It encourages the students to stop using less plastic products at home and school.
Gizo town is the capital of the Western province where all the business and commercial activities are happening.
Gizo is host to all the services like, medical, education, banking, airlines, tourism, police, shipping and all other government services.
Because it’s the main hub for the province, a lot of people are living and working there.
In the heart of Gizo town, there are market houses and many shops.
It’s the shops that imported many products for use.
And after being used, most of the plastic packages, tins, cans and other solid wastes and are not being properly dumped.
And it has been a challenge for Gizo town.
To ensure, the young generation are able to learn how to manage their wastes, this awareness team was able to visit the school recently.
During the brief awareness talk, the little ones were informed about how government had banned the use of all single-use plastic products in the country including Western Province.
The team told the students that plastic products such as; straws, disposal plastic plates, cups, spoons, plastic shopping bags and bottles are not allow.
The students were told ban came into force because plastic products are so harmful to the environment specially rivers and oceans, the students.
As an island, Gizo has witnessed so much plastic products being dumped along the coastal lines.
Therefore, the kids have been encouraged to use non-plastic items when they go shopping or when attending school.
The school administration has thanked the team for coming out to raise awareness about the need to look after the environment by using less plastic products.
One of the teachers Anita Pita said, having such a session is very important for the young students especially at this age when they are still growing up.
“Its important to instil in their minds that solid wastes like plastics and tins are harmful to the environment,” she said.
With Gizo located on an island and surrounded by the blue ocean, the need to protect the environment to ensure it maintain its beauty and heath is important, she said.
At the end of the session, the students were given each a bag and water bottle to use when they attend class.
The bag is to carry their lunch while the water bottle is to store their drinking water rather than carrying plastic bottles.
The little ones were excited and thankful for the gifts.
A similar awareness had been conducted at other schools around Gizo.
Government through the Ministry of Environment as of March this year had issued an order to cease the sales of all plastic products in shops.
Under the ‘One Less Plastic Bottle’ project it aims promote message ‘stop using single-use plastic water bottles’ for the sake of the ocean and environment.
By MOFFAT MAMU
Solomon Star, Gizo
