Project Launch:

In San Carlos de Platanares, the local school offers no after school or extracurricular activities. When the school day is done, most children return home, put on their work clothes and work with their families in the coffee fields. This project will provide an opportunity for kids to be kids and learn to "upcycle" trash into items ready for everyday use, such as juice carton wallets or trashcans made of plastic bottles. The camp itself will be the fun end result of a three-month environmental education course at the high school and a weekly trash cleanup led by a community youth group.

 

Project Update:

Students collected more than 300 plastic bottles and several hundred plastic bags during a series of community trash cleanups prior to the camp. During the camp, students learned how to upcycle plastic bottles into trashcans for their community. The trashcans were unveiled at a community-wide soccer tournament and now provide a place for community members to dispose of waste.

 

Testimonials

“I had a really good time. I didn't know what it would be like to make a trashcan from plastic bottles, but it was pretty easy. It's cool to see how they change from trash to trashcan.” –Project Participant
“I think people want to be responsible with their trash, but a lot of times here in the rural areas there simply are no trashcans around to give people the responsible option. Thanks to this group of students and the creative re-use of plastic bottles, we were able to provide that option and set a positive example as a community and a school.” – Henley, Peace Corps Volunteer