Sixth Form boarding learners at St John’s College participated in a litter clean-up covering areas on campus and outside the school walls on St David Road and Elm Street recently.
Student affairs representative at the school Daphne Mavindidze discussed the purpose of the project with the Gazette.
“Driving in and out of school, we are faced with the unruly sight of rubbish everywhere. Not only is it damaging to the environment, but also shows how we have neglected our community,” said Mavindidze.
“We know that it is not about having enough time, but making enough time to care for our surroundings. We see how pollution has impacted citizens, animals and our picturesque scenery. That was evidence enough for me to decide to start the clean-up.”
Learners collected eight bags of litter including plastic bags, Styrofoam boxes and cups, chip packets, plastic bottles, glass bottles, soft drink cans and snack wrappers.
Mavindidze said this is the first step to reversing the damage being done to the planet.
“It’s not enough to merely utter the words ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ if we do not follow through with our actions.”
Mavindidze said it is important for learners to get into the habit of preserving our fragile ecosystem which we desperately depend on.
“We can only change the world if we work together to establish a cleaner and healthier planet. That starts by doing our part in our own community.”
The learners plan to make this a sustainable project with trash clean-ups taking place every two weeks.
Mavindidze has also started a kit-a-square campaign for Sixth Form learners which will contribute blankets to underprivileged children.
Head of marketing at St John’s College Jacqui Deeks said, “The amount of rubbish around us is not something we are comfortable with and we commit to working towards greater environmental awareness and conservation at St John’s.”
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