- Stakeholders have urged schools in Murang’a County to take a leading role in promoting responsible plastic waste management among learners.
- Pioneer School organised a clean-up exercise, with scouts leader Muriithi Kamau calling for stronger collaboration between government, schools and communities.
- The stakeholders have encouraged schools to embrace reusable alternatives and promote reduce, reuse and recycle principles to instil lasting environmental habits.
Schools in Murang’a County have been urged to take a leading role in promoting responsible plastic waste management and environmental conservation among learners.
Stakeholders warned that poor disposal of plastic bottles, carrier bags and other non-biodegradable materials was increasingly clogging drainage systems and finding its way into rivers and other water sources. They said the situation could worsen during the rainy season, increasing the risk of flooding while also contributing to water pollution and environmental degradation.
Speaking during a clean-up exercise organised by Pioneer School in Murang’a town on Saturday, stakeholders called on schools to strengthen environmental education and equip learners with practical skills on waste management.
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Pioneer School scouts leader and teacher Muriithi Kamau said schools were uniquely placed to shape responsible environmental habits among young people. He called for stronger collaboration between national and county governments, schools, businesses and communities to address the growing challenge of plastic waste.
Kamau said the apparent return of plastic carrier bags in some areas was worrying, calling for renewed efforts to enforce measures aimed at controlling their use. He also encouraged schools and households to embrace reusable alternatives, particularly water bottles, as a way of reducing reliance on single-use plastics. “Members of the public need to be responsible, and especially young people need to be trained to dispose of waste properly,” he said.
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Kamau said environmental education should go beyond classroom lessons, with learners given opportunities to participate in clean-up exercises and other conservation activities. He said initiatives such as school scouts programmes could help nurture a generation of learners who understand the importance of protecting their surroundings and maintaining clean water sources.
The stakeholders urged schools to promote the principles of reducing, reusing and recycling waste while encouraging learners to become environmental ambassadors in their homes and communities. They said instilling proper waste management practices at an early age would help create lasting behavioural change and contribute to cleaner and healthier communities.
By Kithinji Njeru
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