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Yellow, blue, green… Trash bins of all colors, and then what? Raising awareness among young people about waste sorting and teaching them the basic steps of recycling to act as good citizens! This is the project of the Young Economic Chamber of Nice Côte d’Azur, to whom two key industrial sites for waste processing in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan area have agreed to open their doors.
Thus, the students from the 6th and 7th grades at Jean Giono Middle School in Nice were given a guided tour of the VEOLIA Propreté and SMED/VALCO sites. This day gave them the opportunity for direct contact with the process of waste recycling and/or its destruction. The students were immersed in a world largely unknown to the general public, but which plays an important role in their daily life, for the future of our city, and, on a larger scale, our planet.
Veolia and Smed/Valco are heavily involved in the processing of construction waste and household garbage, while protecting the environment and complying with the standards set by the European Union. The visit to these two recent and innovative sites clarified the path of waste and the importance of the initial steps we must take.
For the teachers, this first partnership with waste treatment professionals is a success: this experience allowed them to address one of the cross-cutting themes of the program by crossing perspectives from different subjects (earth and life sciences, geography, economics…). Mr. Philipp, a history teacher, tells us, “this outing gave meaning to our learning.” Ms. Chabaud, a life sciences teacher, notes that “the visit was very well-conducted thanks to a very educational discourse” by the professionals. The students showed a keen interest in the recycling processes: “I will remember the large bales of recycled waste and the biomax,” exclaimed a student.
This day made it possible to bridge between professionals, students, and educators thanks to the initiative of the Young Economic Chamber Nice Côte d’Azur.
Guillaume Campocasso
