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Humanitarian Partnerships
'Garbage Bank' Program
‘Garbage Banks’ and Coastal Resources Education
The Phang Nga Province of Thailand offers a pristine setting of beaches, mountains, forests and sea. On December 26, 2004, however, the beauty of Phang Nga was nearly destroyed by the Indian Ocean Tsunami that took thousands of lives and devastated livelihoods, coastal resources and other ecosystems.The Thailand branch of WWF’s Humanitarian Partnerships program has been working in Phang Nga since the establishment of the program’s Green Recovery Partnership with the American Red Cross in 2005. WWF and their American Red Cross partners have made great strides in solving water and sanitation and livelihoods issues all over tsunami-affected parts of the country.
In April 2008, the partnership began a new program to raise awareness among school-age children and improve solid waste management in the province. The students collect recyclable materials from their communities and schools and deposit them in a ‘garbage bank’ which is then delivered to recycling facilities.
In exchange for bringing waste to the facility, each student receives a savings ‘passbook’ to record their earnings, much like a standard savings account. In some communities, the passbook savings can be exchanged for money, while in others students receive gifts. This innovative approach to community-based conservation not only encourages children to reduce garbage at school and at home but also reduces environmental and health impacts of waste while teaching fiscal responsibility.
Linking Solid Waste Management and Marine Natural Resources
To help make the link between solid waste management and natural resources for children participating in the garbage bank program, partnership staff arranged a study tour at Thailand’s Phuket Aquarium. The students got an up-close view of the colorful world that exists under the surface of the sea that they have lived next to all their lives. They also learned how easily that world can be destroyed by improper handling of solid waste.
By learning how pollution can threaten marine and coastal resources, and just how serious those impacts can be, the children became even more interested in participating in the school’s garbage bank and, hopefully, in influencing the behavior of future generations. Along with providing educational benefits, projects such as these demonstrate how environmental and humanitarian agencies and the private sector can work together to protect species and habitat by reducing environmental degradation.
The Phang Nga Province of Thailand offers a pristine setting of beaches, mountains, forests and sea. On December 26, 2004, however, the beauty of Phang Nga was nearly destroyed by the Indian Ocean Tsunami that took thousands of lives and devastated livelihoods, coastal resources and other ecosystems.The Thailand branch of WWF’s Humanitarian Partnerships program has been working in Phang Nga since the establishment of the program’s Green Recovery Partnership with the American Red Cross in 2005. WWF and their American Red Cross partners have made great strides in solving water and sanitation and livelihoods issues all over tsunami-affected parts of the country.
Partnership staff are conducting three pilot projects – two in Phang Nga Province and one in nearby Krabi Province. So far, over 400 students have participated.
© Suttipong Nongnuan/Thailand
In exchange for bringing waste to the facility, each student receives a savings ‘passbook’ to record their earnings, much like a standard savings account. In some communities, the passbook savings can be exchanged for money, while in others students receive gifts. This innovative approach to community-based conservation not only encourages children to reduce garbage at school and at home but also reduces environmental and health impacts of waste while teaching fiscal responsibility.
Students can participate in the program in two ways: by operating the garbage banks or by collecting and delivering the items to local recycling companies.
© Suttipong Nongnuan/Thailand
To help make the link between solid waste management and natural resources for children participating in the garbage bank program, partnership staff arranged a study tour at Thailand’s Phuket Aquarium. The students got an up-close view of the colorful world that exists under the surface of the sea that they have lived next to all their lives. They also learned how easily that world can be destroyed by improper handling of solid waste.
By learning how pollution can threaten marine and coastal resources, and just how serious those impacts can be, the children became even more interested in participating in the school’s garbage bank and, hopefully, in influencing the behavior of future generations. Along with providing educational benefits, projects such as these demonstrate how environmental and humanitarian agencies and the private sector can work together to protect species and habitat by reducing environmental degradation.
Read more about the WWF-American Red Cross Partnership
WWF and American Red Cross partnership contacts
WWF and American Red Cross partnership fact sheet (PDF, 70.7KB)
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