The Nima Two Basic School in the Ayawaso East Municipality has won the maiden Inter-School Quiz on plastic pollution.
They garner 106.6 points out of a total score of 120 points through an impressive presentation on different uses of plastic wastes to earn money while protecting the environment.
The school received a plaque, cash prize of GHC1000, certificates, Environmental books and Exercise books.
The competition was organised by Let’s Do It Ghana!, an environmental NGO in charge of educating and creating awareness on plastic pollution as well as advocating the patronage of reusable materials instead of plastics to keep the environment clean.
Five schools; Nima One and Two Basic schools in the Ayawaso East, St Francis Xavier R/C Basic School, Darui Hijrah Islamic Basic School, and Ayebeng Basic School, all in the Ayawaso North Municipality, participated in the keenly contested quiz.
St. Francis Xavier R/C Basic School came second with 100 points and received a cash prize of GHC 700, certificates for the school and participants, Environmental and Exercise books.
Nima One Basic School was third and had a cash prize of GHC 500, certificates, and Environmental and Exercise books.
Ayenbeng Memorial Basic School and Darui Hijrah Islamic Basic School came fourth and fifth, respectively, and got a cash prize of GHC 200 each, certificates and books.
The pupils came up with their own ideas on how to use plastic wastes to mould flower pots, flower vast, Christmas trees, and flowers, among other things.
Mrs Kate Opoku, the Country Lead of Let’s Do It Ghana, said the challenge formed part of a “Community for Plastic Reduction and Recycling Project”, launched in July this year at Nima-Maamobi, a suburb of Accra, by the NGO with funding from Afri-Plastic Challenge.
She said the project aimed at reducing littering and open dumping, discouraging single-use plastics, encouraging reusable alternatives and segregation of plastic wastes for recycling.
Since the launch, the NGO had sensitised thousands of community members on plastic pollution through the community radio as well as house-to-house, markets, churches, and mosques campaigns.
“One unique aspect of this project is that we are not only raising awareness, but also providing targeted interventions to enable community members to practice what we teach them,” Mrs Opoku said.
“As a result, we have distributed about 70 plastic dustbins to community members and thousands of tonnes of plastic waste are collected”.
The NGO also trained about 200 women on how to make reusable bags using low-cost materials like T-Shirts and clothing.
Currently nine young ladies and a gentleman are undergoing a five-day training on how to sew reusable bags to sell.
Upon completion, they would receive start-up kits, including sewing machines and accessories.
Mrs Opoku commended the sponsors, the Ayawaso East and North Municipal Assemblies, the Municipal Education Directorate, and the participating schools for the brilliant and sustainable ideas to curb the plastic menace.
Ms Patricia Sally Owusu-Ansah, the Headmistress of Nima Two Basic School, was grateful for the opportunity given the school to contribute to finding solutions to the environmental challenge facing the Municipality and the country as a whole.
She expressed the hope that the programme would have a positive impact on the people, adding; “We all have a duty to enforce the collection of plastics to ensure a clean environment”.
Madam Josephine Gawu, Environmental, Health and Sanitation Officer at the Ayawaso East Assembly, said pollution continued to be a major problem with negative effects of both humans and marine species and commended the organisers for instituting the quiz to bring about attitudinal change.
