1 2 Pune: Reduce, reuse, and recycle is more than just a catchy slogan in schools. Currently, schools across the city are leading the way by using in-class vermicomposting as a tool to teach students about the environment. Big recycling bins are now an important element in several classrooms.
Outside school cafeterias, there are tall bins for dumping food waste. When these tall bins are full, a volunteer crew of older students picks them up, deposits the food waste, recyclable garbage from classrooms as well as dry leaves from trees on the campus in a specially designed vermicomposting pit. Every year, a new batch of students takes up the reins of vermicompost unit in schools.
In many schools, parents and teachers buy the compost. Recognising the importance of teaching students practical ways to reduce waste, school administrations in the city have integrated composting into the curriculum. School representatives said that the goal was to create a living laboratory where students could learn the science behind composting while actively participating in the process.
Aswathi Nair, the teacher in charge at The Orbis School, Mundhwa, said, "Teachers guided the students about the basics of composting and encouraged them to bring compostable waste from home. The collected greens were added to the compost under the expert guidance of the school gardener." Students regularly turn the compost pile to ensure proper aeration, which is essential for the decomposition process.
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