Waste Recycling... Included in School Curricula
- Khalid Al-Rashid: The primary objective of the competitions is to enhance students' environmental awareness
- Sheikha Al-Ibrahim: We hope to achieve a "zero" rate in plastic usage
- Sanaa Al-Ghulais: Through sorting, we aim to prevent plastic waste from reaching landfills
Dr. Khalid Al-Rashid, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, stated that "the Ministry is currently studying the inclusion of specific chapters in the curriculum regarding concepts of recycling and the management of plastic waste."
He made these remarks on the sidelines of his participation in the opening exhibition of the fourth edition of the "Amani School" competition, held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and the supervision of the Public Authority for Environment at The Avenues Mall. Al-Rashid noted that "the efforts undertaken by Amani Company are tremendous and distinctive," adding that "the fundamental goal of these competitions is to strengthen students' environmental awareness and convey effective information that teaches them how to sort plastic waste and recycle it."
He highlighted that "the Ministry of Education participated with a large number of schools last year, approaching 156 schools, and we hope for broader participation this year, aiming to double that figure." He also praised "the cooperation among all parties in this exhibition, which will last for three days."
He emphasized the Ministry of Education's support for such competitions to boost student awareness and instill recycling concepts, affirming that "the level of technology we witnessed in this exhibition is encouraging."
For her part, Sheikha Al-Ibrahim, spokesperson for the Public Authority for Environment and Director of the Public Relations and Media Department, confirmed that "for the second consecutive year, under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and the supervision of the Public Authority for Environment, the fourth Amani School competition has launched. The previous edition received a significant response, collecting over 264 tons of waste within six weeks, which was recycled by companies accredited by the Authority, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions."
She added, "We are striving to increase the number of participants and hope to reach a zero rate in plastic usage in Kuwait." She considered that "the greater goal is to instill environmental concepts and sustainability in students so that they become permanent behaviors," praising "the continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Education through a joint committee, and we hope to achieve the inclusion of these concepts in the curriculum." She explained that "sorting plastic at the source helps alleviate the burden on landfills," noting that "after six weeks, we will announce the names of the winning schools in this competition."
From her side, Sanaa Al-Ghulais, CEO of Amani Company, stated that "the company is holding this initiative for the fourth consecutive year, with the participation of 23 sponsors from government entities and the private sector." She pointed to "the effort to attract the maximum possible number of schools, aiming for 200 schools, as the initiative started with 48 schools, while the number reached 156 schools last year."
Al-Ghulais indicated that "the company's vision in working with the Ministry of Education is to make participation mandatory for all ministry schools, given its impact on raising students' environmental awareness." She noted that "the competition aims to educate students on sorting waste at the source, especially plastic waste, as the goal of sorting is to prevent plastic waste from reaching landfills, thereby preventing the production of toxic gases that affect groundwater."
Regarding whether there is a law mandating source segregation, Al-Ghulais said, "Some provisions of the law refer to this matter. Additionally, the cleanliness regulations issued by the Municipal Council in 2023 also stipulate the necessity of source segregation. Kuwait was the first country in the Gulf to mandate segregation in its cleanliness regulations; what we lack is the activation of what already exists."
Regarding plastic waste generation in Kuwait, she noted that “there is no precise annual figure, but the most recently cited data indicate that the average individual in Kuwait generates 1.7 kilograms of plastic waste per day.”
