The Oando Foundation and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) have trained some teachers in the Orile Iganmu area of Lagos State on recycling and environmental sustainability.
The workshop is part of the ‘Clean Our World’ project, an initiative of the Oando Foundation, funded by Sumitomo Chemicals, Japan, with the NCF as the implementing partner.
Speaking at the training, Mrs Abidemi Balogun, Head, Environmental Education and Sustainability, NCF, said that there was the need to cultivate attitudinal change to waste.
Mrs Balogun said that waste could be reduced, reused and recycled.
According to her, nylons take several years to decompose; as such, reusing them to make beautiful things like bags, jewellery containers, and others would contribute to environmental sustainability.
“By the time we are through with the training of these set of teachers, they, in turn, will go and teach others,” Mrs Balogun said.
She noted that the NCF, as an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), leveraged the expertise of Plastic Evolution Initiative, another NGO, in facilitating the training.
Also, Mr Austeen Adekoga, the Executive Director, Plastic Evolution Initiative, said that the aim of the training was to teach the teachers how to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bags, commonly called nylon bags.
Adekoga said that through nylon crafts, fancy bags, window blinds could be made, which when sold would translate to money.
Mrs Caroline Iwuajoku, Assistant Head Teacher, Metropolitan Nursery Primary School, Orile Iganmu, noted that the gathering of plastic bags for nylon crafts had contributed to making the school environment clean.
Iwuajoku thanked the Oando Foundation and the NCF for the initiative and promised to pass the training to their students and children at home.
Mr Adekola Fashina, the Chairman of, School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), expressed gratitude to the Oando Foundation and the NCF for taking the teachers through the commencement of the second phase of the project.
Fashina said that the project’s first phase was very successful as most of the teachers exhibited ‘Ottoman’ furniture made from plastic bottles.
He expressed optimism that the plastic bag craft could convert waste to wealth for the trainees.