ZeroPlastic volunteers brought environmental education and hands-on cleanup action to Mahinda Rajapaksha College, Matara, through a project titled EcoStalk. Designed for school students, the initiative combined a campus-wide cleanup campaign with an interactive awareness session on plastic pollution and sustainable alternatives, reaching approximately 250 school students.

A Shramadhana Campaign to Clean the School Environment

The project began with a Shramadhana Campaign, a collaborative cleanup effort in which university volunteers, school students, and staff members worked together to remove plastic waste and other improperly disposed materials from the school premises. The activity served a practical purpose, improving the cleanliness of the school grounds, while also demonstrating how collective action can address waste management challenges at a local level.

By involving school students directly in the physical work of waste removal, the campaign provided firsthand exposure to the volume and variety of plastic waste present in everyday environments. This direct engagement set the foundation for the educational component that followed.

Approximately 250 school students at Mahinda Rajapaksha College, Matara, participated in both a hands-on cleanup campaign and an interactive awareness session focused on reducing single-use plastic consumption and adopting sustainable alternatives.

Interactive Awareness Session on Plastic Pollution and Sustainable Alternatives

Following the cleanup, an interactive awareness session was conducted for the participating school students. The session covered the environmental impacts of plastic pollution, the importance of reducing single-use plastic consumption, and practical methods for minimizing plastic usage in daily life. Students were introduced to environmentally friendly alternatives to commonly …