Holcim Lanka educates school students on practical waste management

From left: Holcim Lanka CSR Coordinator Chalana Amanda, FR. B.K. Viraj Eranga Rodrigo, St. Andrews College Principal Francis Fernando, Holcim Lanka CSR Manager Charlotte Boutboul, Holcim Lanka Sustainable Development Officer Udara Rathnayake, MTV General Manager – Promotions Susantha Saparamadu and Geocycle Bio-mass coordinator Janaka Uyangoda at the initial waste management awareness campaign

Schools are known to accumulate tons of waste. Through learning proper waste management, school students have an ideal opportunity to make a significant impact on the environment and their families.

Holcim Lanka, a member of the Lafarge Holcim Group and pioneer in sound environmental practices, recently shared its waste management expertise through a series of programs involving schools in the Puttalam district. 

The program targeted more than 500 school children in the area including students attending St. Andrew’s College, Medananda Vidyalaya, Kalladiya Sinhala Vidyalaya, Palavi Sinhala Vidyalaya and Palavi Muslim Vidyalaya. The initial campaign was launched recently at St. Andrew’s College.

The Holcim Lanka campaign is aligned with its policy of taking its expertise and experience in waste management through recycling operations for environmental sustainability to the grass roots to make a greater and more focused impact on society.

Waste bins were provided to the schools along with informative signboards on how to minimise waste. Additionally posters on changing student behaviour and preventing them from throwing garbage negligibly were also widely distributed and displayed.

The company firmly believes the programme will prepare a foundation to teach youth the need for waste segregation and recycling as a vital component of environmental sustainability.

“As a socially responsible organisation, Holcim Lanka continues to launch initiatives that are relevant for the development of our community. Our latest program with the Puttalam schools aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment through proper waste management,” said Holcim Lanka Head of Sustainable Development, Communications and External Affairs Farzana Khan.

“We have reached out to children as we believe enlightening them will result in the creation of a whole new generation of socially and environmentally concerned citizens,” she added.