Bags full of litter. An investigation into what's on the streets. And finally: a large colourful whale made from litter. Pupils from group 5b of primary school De Schakel in Nieuw-Lekkerland made serious work of it in recent weeks. On Tuesday 15 July, they handed over their work of art to us.
The pupils went into the neighbourhood themselves and investigated what kinds of rubbish lay where. From beer cups to cigarette butts, cardboard, construction waste and even an old car tyre: it was all in their own neighbourhood. They processed their findings in a report and in a striking work of art: a whale made of litter.
"When we saw what was lying around, we wanted to do something with it," says a pupil from group 5b. "It doesn't belong in nature. We wanted to make something that shows that clearly."
On 15 July, the whale was officially handed over to our director, Jürgen Rau and education officer Wessel Keizer. "What these students have done goes to the heart of our education work," says Jürgen Rau. "They picked up litter, thought about it and turned it into something positive. That is exactly what we want to achieve with the Waste-Free Schools programme: children discovering for themselves why waste and resources matter and that every action - no matter how small - makes a difference every day. We hope this will encourage other schools to get started too. We are happy to help."
Waste-free schools programme
De Schakel's project is in line with the objectives of the Waste-Free Schools programme, through which we have supported primary schools in the region to educate about waste, the environment and behaviour since 2014. We help schools with teaching materials, collection tools, guest lessons and excursions. In return, they do not have to pay for separate waste collection. Some 80% of primary schools in the region are now affiliated. Keizer says: "We make materials and our knowledge available free of charge to schools that want to get started with waste and raw materials. Whether you are just starting out or are already more advanced - we are happy to think along with you."
The Whale of The Switch will have a visible place in our office. Not just as a work of art, but as a lasting symbol for a generation learning to look differently at waste and raw materials.