The Recycling Initiation Module (RIM) teaches children about better waste management.
Ten years ago Fost Plus decided to join forces with GoodPlanet Belgium and inter-municipal waste management associations with the idea to raise children’s awareness of sorting, recycling and responsible management of household waste. More than 17 000 interactive workshops have been organized for more than 300 000 pupils in Belgian primary schools. During these educational workshops the children learn how to manage better household waste and receive practical advice on how to acquire good habits at home. This initiative, endorsed by the competent public authorities, has for sure achieved very good results: the pupils are now more aware about waste, are careful to use properly the sorting bins with which the majority of schools are now equipped and, once back home, have more responsible behaviour concerning disposal of waste.
10 years of activities, worth celebrating
To celebrate 10 years of the RIM Fost Plus and GoodPlanet have set off on tour, from January to May. A dozen schools all over Belgium will benefit from special attention. As a matter of fact, pupils in these schools that have booked the RIM production will have the opportunity to celebrate this anniversary with (non-alcoholic) sparkling wine, some cake and a little gift, miniature sorting bins full of sweets. The press has also been invited to cover this event.
Workshops adapted to all ages
The RIM is designed for pupils from the 3rd to the 6th year of primary school and, since its launch, has been a continuous success. Each year, thanks to the support of the participating inter-municipal waste management associations, many schools have signed up for the module www.animationmir.be in order to take part in the free workshops. Given the success of this project a follow-up initiative was launched in 2008. This was a workshop intended for students in secondary Schools, entitled “C’est du propre!” (literally translated “It’s clean!” but it also means “Well, that’s nice!”). It is obvious that, while the RIM initiative was meant to work on awareness raising, use of language and acquisition of scientific knowledge, the module for elder students focused on debate, critical thinking and the ability to reason. Finally, in 2012 the production “Pays pas propre” (“Not neat Country”) was initiated, addressing the very youngest and based on an imaginary world to which children are led to by a ‘conteuse’ – a ‘storyteller’. In this way the children, throughout their school education, are generally made aware of the necessity and importance of correct management of waste materials and, in particular, their sorting.