Bhubaneswar: In a bid to educate students about management and disposal of plastic wastes, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Thursday, organised a training programme for teachers of different schools here.
The BMC in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organised the training programme which saw participation of 40 secondary school teachers from 30 select schools joining as agents of first-level change.
“Plastic is energy. We need to dispose it at the right place so that it is recycled and reused for ensuring a clean and green environment. To ensure that students play a crucial role in this regard, special plans have been drawn and students are identified as key agents that will bring the change and help to keep the city clean,” said Suvendu Kumar Sahoo, Deputy Commissioner, Sanitation.
Sahoo further said that special bins would be kept in several schools of the Smart City. Students will be encouraged with the help of teachers to dispose plastic wastes at designated points so that they can be easily disposed in a systematic manner. Once teachers are oriented, they will regularly train the students on plastic waste management at school level.
Sources said that BMC has chalked out orientation of 30 schools, success of which will be replicated in other schools. The civic body further stated that there are plans to reward schools which will collect maximum plastic waste from their campuses to develop competitiveness and encourage students in the unique initiative. The initiative is likely to be undertaken after the schools reopens. Notably, the civic body has emphasized on control of plastic use in the city last week. Following a state government notification in October last year, the BMC had banned single-use plastics under its jurisdictions.
However, with the spread of Covid-19, the civic authority had shifted its focus on containing infection in the city. While Covid-induced lockdown had significantly reduced plastic usage, it resurfaced after gradual resumption of economic activities.