Come and Recycle! – sixth meeting

Come and Recycle! - sixth meeting

Our sixth meeting of the Come and Recycle! project was all about SEPARATION and RECYCLING. We learned that we, Slovaks, produce a large amount of waste, which we can simply throw into containers located on every corner. Interestingly, waste separation in Košice and, for example, Bratislava is slightly different, which means that in Slovakia, we do not have a unified system for waste separation. In some cities, we put glass into yellow containers, while elsewhere it's plastics, metals, or Tetra Pak. It is therefore essential to pay attention to what waste belongs in individual containers. This information is usually written directly on the containers.

So why do we recycle in Slovakia the way we do?

As we mentioned above, all the necessary information guiding us to proper recycling is usually found on individual containers. In addition, this information can also be found on the websites of towns and municipalities. There are even several guides on waste separation.

The good news is that we have significantly improved compared to the past, for example, 10 years ago. However, the fact is that even current numbers do not approach the European average. But we are convinced that in a few years we can get closer to them.

At the beginning of the meeting, we shared some basic information about the project and discussed with the participants the idea behind its entire creation. We also introduced the European Solidarity Corps and IUVENTA, without which the Come and Recycle! project would not have come into being. Subsequently, we asked the participants about their expectations using an interactive whiteboard - Jam board.

Many were looking forward to our lecturer, who had been mentioned at almost every meeting before this one. Some were looking forward to the discussion, new information, or tips and tricks. We believe we did not disappoint them in the slightest. At the sixth meeting, our lecturer was Mr. Marek Brinzík. A person who is no stranger to the world of ecology and is known by almost everyone. From a young age, he dedicated himself to nature conservation, especially birds, later he worked for local government, and for some time now he has been working at Natur-pack, a so-called PRO (Producer Responsibility Organization), as a marketing director. On behalf of the company, he shoots videos on various topics, but all of them concern waste, its proper separation, recycling, or nature conservation. You can find them on every social network or on their YouTube channel - Click HERE.

Mr. Brinzík's colleague, Ms. Uršula Pomfyová, who is an expert in waste issues, even attended this meeting. She has a high-level command of waste legislation and, together with Marek Brinzík, answered many questions from our curious 48 meeting participants. Although there were plenty of questions, our lecturers were not intimidated and answered each of them to the best of their ability.

Participants therefore had the opportunity to learn a comprehensive overview of how waste management works in Slovakia. How much we, Slovaks, produce, how much waste ends up in landfills, or how much space in containers we could save if we compressed empty PET bottles or tore up empty cardboard boxes. Participants could also ask where to dispose of certain types of waste they were unsure about.

The meeting was primarily attended by young people aged 15 to 19 who attend our partner schools - Gymnázium Park mládeže 5 in Košice, Gymnázium Poštová 9 in Košice, and Gymnázium Konštantínova 2 in Prešov. We are very pleased with their interest, as they were our target group. It is precisely they who will build the future of our planet. And as a bonus, several participants wrote to us that they noticed us on Facebook and our personal stories on Instagram.

At the end of the meeting, we managed one more activity, this time via Mentimeter. We were interested in what participants took away from the lecture, so we asked them this question: What information about recycling surprised you? We also wanted to find out their relationship to separation and how it is handled in the schools they attend.

The answers were diverse, and we are convinced that participants will be inspired by them and will apply them in reality.

After the Mentimeter activity, we prepared a quiz for the participants via Kahoot! The winner received a great book on the topic of recycling.

Among other things, we created a Drive for our participants, to which each of them has access. Thanks to it, anyone can revisit a meeting that interested them.

We would like to thank the partners of this meeting once again:

Marek Brinzík, from Natur-pack a.s.,

Uršula Pomfyová, from Natur-pack a.s.,

Gymnázium Park mládeže 5 in Košice,

Gymnázium Poštová 9 in Košice,

Gymnázium Konštantínova 5 in Prešov.

The education is supported by the European Solidarity Corps program, administered by IUVENTA - Slovak Youth Institute.