A Passionate Tackle on Waste and Recycle!

14/03/2013

 

The Sustainable Living Project worked together with SLASA (Spanish and Latin American Association for Social Assistance Inc.) and a Spanish community group in order to tackle increasing waste and master how to recycle appropriately through the Step Together Project. Read more about this great initiative.

Photo: What is the best cup?

A Spanish community group and SLASA organisation, both participated in a Step Together project where a need was identified to raise more awareness about the importance of recycling and the correct ways to do it. The increase in waste and the contamination of the recycle bins were a concerning issue and it was even more complicated for SLASA as they did not have a recycling system in their centre.

A project was therefore planned my mentee Maria Lavett and myself to address these issues and to support the community groups and the organisation stepping towards a positive behaviour change. The interactive workshops were an effective method to educate the participants and provided them with a learning atmosphere where they were able to share information and ideas. The workshops were designed in a such a way that participants had plenty of opportunity to practice brainstorming and share ideas. Also included were some fun activities that helped them understand more about waste as an environmental issue.

The participants recognised the great value of reducing waste which in turn reduces the emissions of the green house gases and the soil contamination besides reducing the waste of resources. The participants’ feedback at the end of the project showed that their knowledge about recycling had increased and that they were motivated to adopt the right practices. They also learnt through the introduced “avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle” concept, how to better minimise their waste and change their behaviour positively towards saving the environment.

“I was surprised” said Sandra one of the program’s participants, “I have been in Australia for years but in this workshops I discovered that I have not been recycling correctly so it was so useful and beneficial to learn new information. And now I have also been given a mug with my name on it so I do not need to use disposable cups any more”.

It was rewarding to see the mentee and SLASA staff’s enthusiasm and motivation moving forward towards achieving their goal of obtaining a recycling bin through donation and commitment in addition to the positive changes in the mentee’s understanding and confidence.

The success of the project also motivated other community groups to show their demand to similar programs and their interest to participate and contribute to it. Those communities can contribute positively and on a large scale to reduce the impact on the environment, to live sustainably and to be part of a big healthy community as long as they get motivated and supported.

By Yasmin Mohammed