Lagos Schools Get Cash Rewards For Tackling Plastic Pollution

A leading environmental and science communication group, Èkó EnviroTalk, has given out cash rewards to the winning schools of its Earth Day 2024 Youth Video Competition.

The cash and certificates were presented to the winning schools at Ayedere Ajibola Senior High School, Ketu, Lagos.

According to the NGO, the aim of the Earth Day 2024 Youth Video Competition is to raise awareness about plastic pollution and promote the 4Rs of waste management (reduce, reuse, recycle and recover) among students from various schools across the state.

In recognition of the students’ creative efforts in addressing environmental challenges, particularly plastic pollution, Odomola Senior Secondary School, Epe, emerged as the winner, receiving a cash prize of N250,000 while Lagos State Model Senior College, Agbowa Ikosi, and Abule-Eko Community Junior Grammar School, Ijede, Ikorodu, secured the first runner-up and second runner-up positions, winning N150,000 and N100,000, respectively.

Spokesperson for ÈKÓ EnviroTalk, Mr Adedoyin Lasisi, expressed their commitment to empowering students to become environmental stewards adding that they are proud to support innovative solutions to environmental challenges in conjunction with the State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of Education.

“We have a series of programmes that are being carried out in conjunction with Lagos State, and one of the programmes is the Green Challenge. Green Challenge is an environmental quiz competition that is done online for secondary school students.

Others are Youth Video Competition to commemorate Earth Day, Plastic Craft Competition, Outdoor Activities and Summer Camp.

“Thus, this year’s Earth Day was all about plastics, and schools were asked to create plastic crafts. So, they used the plastic, and the winners of the competition emerged,” he said.

When asked why it is now that they are doing the presentation, Lasisi said, “We did not award the winners because schools were on holiday, and now that they have resumed, we decided to do the prize award.”

Speaking on behalf of Odomola Senior Secondary School, Epe, a teacher from the school, Mr Ajala Samuel, said the students’ victory was the culmination of tireless efforts to gather, sort and creatively repurpose plastic waste.

“We are thrilled to have participated in this competition. Our students went around town collecting plastics, learnt about the impact of plastic littering, and devised a solution.”

The students’ award-winning project was a boat constructed from recycled plastics, designed to address plastic waste and provide emergency response during floods in coastal areas like Epe.