Some pre-schools in Singapore are promoting a zero-waste lifestyle, hoping to instil green habits in a generation who will probably face the pressing challenges of climate change when they grow up.
In January, the Shaws Preschool group launched efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle – popularly known as the 3Rs – at all six of its schools. Children would sort out the things that could be reused, recycled or were to be discarded, with guidance from their teacher.
Besides regular decluttering exercises, the pre-school has reduced wastage of single-use plastic, where children are encouraged to bring their own laundry bags. Since the beginning of the year, Shaws’ six pre-schools have saved about 12,000 plastic bags.
At The Garden House Preschool in Bukit Batok, the focus on nature and outdoor play encourages an outlook that is pro-sustainability. The children at the pre-school spend at least an hour each day in its vegetable and fruit garden, which has a playground with recycled objects to play with.
Food waste like watermelon rinds and leftover pieces of fruit are mixed with soil and turned into compost, which produces fertilizer for the garden and houses worms that the children enjoy digging up. Reusing resources and reducing waste are good habits for the children to cultivate, as they will be dealing with the worsening impact of climate change in the future.
At the British Council (Singapore) Pre-school, children regularly recycle materials such as paper, cardboard and plastics.
During one Sports Day, when parents were asked to donate recyclables such as toilet rolls and plastic bottles, and children were tasked with making medals from old compact discs (CDs), some parents recalled “how fun” it was to make tunnels and cars out of cartons.
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Source: The Straits Times, 28 April 2019