Zero-waste workshops for elementary schools: Awareness and Solutions

Our kayak activity is not available for elementary school classes. But we aspire to change this in the future. Meanwhile, we are giving workshops in elementary schools to raise awareness about plastic use!

Most of the trash that we retrieve from the canal is plastic. To mitigate the environmental impact of plastic pollution, the best solution is to reduce our daily plastic usage. By educating children about the harmful effects of plastic and potential solutions to address the plastic pollution issue, we aim to nurture a new generation that actively participates in eliminating the flow of plastic to the environment.

We organize workshops in the Brussels region for 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade of elementary students. During these workshops, children identify disposable plastic items and packaging they use every day. We explore the environmental and health problems associated with the vast amount of plastic produced and used every day. To better understand the impact of waste on the environment, we go out to do a cleanup on the playground or a nearby park. This way, the children can experience the problem themselves.

In the second part of the workshop, children seek sustainable zero-waste alternatives for the identified products and experiment with existing zero-waste products. Our goal is to inspire them to become “plastictarians,”: someone that actively reduces the use of plastic.

If you’re an elementary school teacher interested in having us visit your school, please contact us at info@canalitup.org or fill in our contact form. 

Do you want to become a plastictarian?

Here are already three simple rules anyone can adopt in their daily lives to start becoming a plastictarian:

  • Use a reusable drinking bottle and fill it with tap water. Plastic bottles are the items we find the most in the Brussels canal of which half are water bottles. Tap water is safe for your health and the environment, and it’s cost-effective. Carry your own bottle everywhere and request tap water.
  • Use reusable bags for vegetables, fruits and your other purchases. These bags replace single-use plastic bags. Bring them to markets and decline plastic bags offered to you.
  • Choose for solid bar soap and shampoo. These products are easily accessible and don’t require packaging like liquid soap and shampoo bottles. It’s a quick and easy win!