Organizes an All-Island Schools Poster Art Competition together with the Ministry of Education and the Central Environmental Authority
Nestlé Lanka, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Central Environmental Authority, launched an All-Island Schools Poster Art Competition as the second phase of its School Waste Management Programme. Named ‘මිහිතලයේ යහපැවැත්ම වෙනුවෙන් සිත්තමක මෙහෙවර’ (Doing good for the planet – an artistic representation), this competition aims to create awareness at a young age and reinforce the importance of responsible waste disposal among school children. Planned to be conducted in three rounds, i.e., zonal, provincial, and all-island, the final round would be held in June of this year, targeting World Environment Day.
Initiated in 2020 to inspire a positive behavioural change in the future generation of Sri Lanka, the School Waste Management Programme took steps to donate waste management units to schools whilst creating awareness on responsible disposal. Accelerated last year as part of Nestlé Lanka’s efforts to help achieve a waste-free future, the programme reached approximately 350,000 children in over 200 schools across the country in 2022.
“Mismanaged waste is a concern that needs urgent attention and creating a better future for our children requires the close collaboration of everyone, across all sectors and industries. The School Waste Management Programme is an ideal platform, as it creates awareness on responsible waste disposal among the future generation of the country’’ said Ms. Sujeeva Perera, Senior Environmental Officer of the Central Environmental Authority.
Sharing her thoughts on the recently launched art competition, Mrs. Ruvini Jayalath, Assistant Director, Aesthetic Branch of the Ministry of Education said, “Whilst art competitions help children explore their creativity and develop aesthetic skills, they are also an impactful tool for reinforcing good habits such as responsible waste management, whilst inspiring a positive behavioural change in children”.
“It is vital to teach good habits at an early stage to have a significant impact. I’m grateful for Nestlé Lanka and the authorities for conducting this worthy programme, reaching thousands of school children around the country. This art competition will no doubt be a great platform for our children to showcase their artistic skills as well” said Mrs. N. D. C. Jayangani, Principal of Maharagama Central College.
Committed to doing good for the planet, Nestlé Lanka continues its efforts to tackle plastic waste pollution in Sri Lanka, with an ambition of ensuring none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or waterbodies. Towards this end, the company follows a holistic approach of reducing, reusing, redesigning, and recycling its packaging, complemented by rethinking behaviours. This includes reducing single use plastics such as straws, moving to recyclable or reusable packaging for its products, helping create a circular economy for aseptic beverage cartons and working with government and private institutions to galvanize action and drive behavioural change for a greener and cleaner Sri Lanka.
Driven by its purpose of ‘unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come’, Nestlé has nourished generations of Sri Lankan families with high quality food and beverages from early childhood to old age. Having started its operations in Sri Lanka in 1906, today, Nestlé has become an integral part of Sri Lankan lives. The company manufactures over 90% of its products sold in Sri Lanka locally at their state-of-the-art factory in Kurunegala, employing strict safety and quality controls.
