Malta – Waste management website launched

A new website on waste management issues in Malta was launched yesterday to increase education among school children and to communicate new principles of waste management, WasteServ’s Strategy Head Chris Ciantar announced.



The new website, www.progettskart.com, has two aims. One is to facilitate communication with those involved in waste management, the other to address the needs of the educational sector, said Environmental Educator Alexandra Mifsud at the launch held at the Carlo Diacono Girls’ Junior Lyceum in Zejtun. Stakeholders and the general public will find a description of the services offered by the Progett Skart team – such as consultancy services – as well as work being done in the waste management sector. The website also includes a news and events section supported by a photo gallery, explained Ms Mifsud.



The site also includes Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs), waste tips and a links section through which the public has access to general waste management information at a local and international level, she added. The website’s educational sector contains detailed lesson plans in various subjects from the education curriculum. This section of the website was compiled with the assistance of the Curriculum Department at the Education Division, said Ms Mifsud. “Through these lesson plans, primary and secondary pupils can learn about mathematics, science, chemistry, biology and an array of other subjects using waste management as the medium,” she explained. The educational packs also help to inform children about different waste management options, assist children in acquiring skills in waste management and guide children so that they can develop attitudes and values that promote sustainable lifestyles, said Ms Mifsud.



The educational resources available in the website fulfil all aspects of the Maltese National Curriculum (1999). “These resources are aimed at enabling students to develop skills required to participate in environmental protection initiatives with a primary focus on sustainable waste management. They also help develop attitudes in students that respect the quality of human life and health by exploring the link between waste management, human health and the environment. Finally the resources will also help educators to integrate and give more prominence to waste management issues in educational curricula and programmes,” she said. The website also aims to meet Task E3 of A Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Maltese Islands (2001) which states that waste management issues should be integrated and given more prominence in educational curricula and programmes, said Ms Mifsud. She added that the introduction of the website is also intended to complement other activities. Currently, 25 schools separate their waste and this number is expected to increase further