Christmas

A Christmas tree built by schools in Maputo out of 7,000 plastic bottles aims to sensitise the Mozambican capital to the need to recycle waste, its makers said on Saturday.

In a country where recycling is still a rarity, first steps are being taken by environmental clubs like the one at the Maxaquene Comprehensive Primary School in Maputo.

“In the beginning, the students saw only garbage,” Inacio Joaquim, a teacher who teaches classes from nine to 13 years old explains, “but with time and the construction of pieces such as toys and carpets, they began to understand what recycling is.”Today they are separating waste, giving rise to the seven-meter Christmas tree which stands on the roundabout opposite the Museum of Natural History in the capital.

The initiative is already a regular part of the annual calendar of recycling activities, city of Maputo Education Department representative Sandra Machaieie says.

“Pieces are being produced throughout the year. Some are on display in schools, others are sold” to support the activities of the environmental clubs located in schools in all seven districts of the city, she said.

The Christmas tree is also one of the visible signs of the Millennium Bim bank’s social responsibility activity. The bank has financed the logistics of recycling activities in schools since 2007.“What matters most to us is to reach out to youth, because they are the ones who best transmit the message into their homes,” and bring enthusiasm to recycling, Maria João Barbosa, head of social responsibility at the bank, says.The “A clean city for me” project has already seen the participation of about 10,800 primary and secondary school students in the cities of Maputo, Matola, Vilanculos and Tete.