Kids received an exciting insight into the world of recycling
What actually happens with the waste that we dispose of daily and how we can conserve the earth’s scarce resources? These and other questions formed the basis of a project that the children of the elementary school of Allhartsberg emerged in within the initiative of the “Zukunftsakademie Mostviertel” T4T – Tools for Talents.
Some 29 pupils of 4th grade elementary school „color garden“ in Allhartsberg had the opportunity to get to know and to actively deal with the recycling of WEEE (Electronic Waste) during the months of March and April and they were accompanied and hosted by the T4T partner company Müller-Guttenbrunn. Under the expert guidance of Günther Höggerl and Paul Lohnecker, the children were allowed to dismantle equipment such as vacuum cleaners, blenders and radios into their component parts themselves.
In addition to the knowledge about the structure and composition of the dismantled equipment, the usefulness of the materials in the recycling cycle was an important aspect of the learning experience. „The children were very well prepared and asked an extraordinary number of interesting questions. They went to work with a huge enthusiasm and had no fear for screwdrivers and other tools „. Günther Höggerl, the head of Research and Development at Müller-Guttenbrunn was impressed.
Lessons cannot be more practical.
Compared to production of new products and materials, recycling can save a lot of energy and CO2 emissions. Recycling thus contributes largely to environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources. The creation of exactly this awareness was an important element of the project.
As part of the learning experience the Müller-Guttenbrunn staff gave the students an appropriate basic knowledge about the recycling of metal-containing products. With an excursion to the three regional sites of the company, the children got an insight of how the separation of these raw materials works in practice. The accompanying teacher, Ulrich Kirchdorfer, says: „The insight into the actual business world gives our children a view into their own future – this was a wonderful and interesting exchange, not only for the children.“
The cooperation of the elementary school Allhartsberg with the Müller-Guttenbrunn group is part of the project „T4T Tools for Talents” which target it is to confront children with science and technology at an early age.
The project wants to be a contribution to ensure that enough offspring to technical professionals is developed for the future. During this school year over 650 children and youngsters from the Mostviertel will be made enthusiastic for engineering, mathematics and physics by a creative and playful approach to these subjects.
Contact and info: www.zukunftsakademie.or.at | www.mgg-recycling.com
