Waste management in the school context: a potential tool for the bioconsciousness of IFMA students, Barra do Corda-Maranhão

Abstract

The ambivalence between preserving and conserving led the population to the current diversity of ideas and to global disorders, on the one hand the radical environmental groups and on the other the comprehensive, sustainable and economically powerful ones, now facing the challenge of detaching humanity from this clash guiding it towards a liberating environmental movement where, through environmental education, environmental awareness is built and actions in favor of planetary protection do not need whys to gain meaning and relevance. Participation is a fundamental element in every social process, especially in economic and environmental arrangements, as it demands, above all, the identification and ideological affinity of its participants. In the midst of environmental education actions, fostering ways for society to identify with projects and feel an affinity with environmental trends should be the first step in the design of an engaged community. In this sense, the present project sought to articulate actions in the physical space of the IFMA / Campus Barra do Corda with theoretical methodological concepts of the Boticário group, joining private initiative with public initiative, in order to obtain an overlapping of views about the reuse and recycling of solid waste from perfumery, cosmetics and organic waste products, favoring the production chain of a solidarity organization, the Association of Waste Pickers (ASCAMAR) in São Luís - MA. The project was carried out with a descriptive, exploratory and quantitative methodology, collecting approximately 33.696 kg of waste, including paper, plastic, metal, glass packaging, in addition to coffee grounds, all directed to recycling practices, either through ASCAMAR or distributed for use as a fertilizer supplement (dehydrated coffee grounds). Thus, the project contributed to debates on the theme, strengthening the participants' eco-conscience (especially students), to promote the engagement of the school community in environmental education dynamics, concluding that due to its general importance, the referred project it must be resumed as soon as the sanitary conditions permit, in order to reach more students so that new classes, new partners and new communities to be served will be included.