The Mohinani Group has selected 37 basic and junior high schools within the Greater Accra Region, to participate in the 5th annual waste management and recycling competition.
The competition, which seeks to support environmental education in basic and junior high schools, reward schools for their collection and innovation with recyclable materials.
According to management of the company, this year’s edition is targeted at reaching over 18,000 students and will run in two phases. The first phase involves the basic schools’ level while the second phase, which is the junior high school competition, will take place from the 18th July- 30th August 2021.
Executive Director, Mohinani Group, Ashok Mohinani, was enthusiastic to embark upon the competition for the fifth time and stated that it was an important part of the corporate social responsibility strategy and legacy of the organization.
“We are very happy to be committed to creating self-sustaining and self-sufficient citizens through this sustainable initiative and giving back to the communities in which we operate.
The Mohinani Recycling and Proper Waste Management Campaign has over the past five years supported the United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs) of helping communities adapt to sustainable habits on climate change and climate adaptation. We sought to inspire the future generation through practical skills training and education on business opportunities from recycling and proper waste management practices,” he said.
The Founder and Executive Director of Environment360, an implementation partner, Cordie Aziz- Nash, stated that she has seen changes in many of the students that benefited from the program each year.
“Environment360 has had the privilege of implementing this program alongside the Ghana Education Service for the past five years. When interviewed after the competition, students can easily recall the various categories of waste, as well as discuss the importance of recycling to our communities,” Mrs. Aziz-Nash said.
The Coordinator for the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), Greater Accra Metro District, Phillipina Tuffour, reiterated that the competition has been very beneficial for the schools and students.
“We have experienced tremendous change in the habits of pupils across the various participating schools. Students are always enthusiastic about the program and have always sought to come up with creative and innovative ways of reducing, reusing and recycling waste,” she emphasised.
This year’s project introduced a novel biodegradable cardboard recycling box. The use of this low-cost material will make it easier and also ensure that participating schools have adequate collection containers for their recyclables.
The 2020 edition of the competition yielded more than 12 tons of recyclable materials collected by beneficiaries. These were mainly plastic waste which without this competition could have ended up as litter in communities and waterways.
The top school for this year’s competition will receive a cash prize while the best class will be rewarded with a KFC party.
The program is being implemented in partnership with the Ghana Education Service, Accra Metro District and Environment360.
