Under the slogan "Garbage is a valuable resource!" a long-term all-Ukrainian project has been launched as part of the national School Recycling program "Online Separate Waste Collection Marathon". More than 6,000 educators from all over Ukraine gathered remotely to learn how to implement a sorting system in schools. 

Presented the first in Ukraine a free online course on implementing a waste sorting system in educational institutions at schoolrecyclingworld.org/online-learning, which includes lessons in sorting, project management, eco tips and virtual tours of sorting companies, which help participants: form a team of eco-patrols and introduce a system of sorting solid waste in schools, as well as acquire habits of proper and responsible waste management in everyday life. 

Project organizer - International Youth Movement "School Recycling World" together with the All-Ukrainian Youth Movement "Let's do it, Ukraine" with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Ecological and Naturalistic Center and financial support from the PepsiCo Foundation. The general sponsor was PepsiCo, known in Ukraine manufacturer of food and beverages by such brands as: "Sandora", "Sadochok", "Sandorik", Pepsi®, 7UP®, Mirinda®, Lipton Ice Tea®, "Aqua Minerale". Lay's®, «Khrusteam "," Miracle "," Slavyanochka "," Mashenka "," Agusha ".

"We have created an online course for everyone. This is a unique product for the whole of Ukraine. Because now everyone can introduce sorting in their school. In addition to videos with step-by-step instructions, it contains all the necessary teaching materials, posters, calendars that will be useful on the way to eco-living. As a team, we share all the effective developments that have been developed over 5 years of the project, and it is up to you to act, ”- commented Ksenia Renchkovska, leader of the International Youth Movement "School Recycling World" in Ukraine.

The program of the event included practical recommendations on the following topics: work with documentation during the implementation of sorting in the school; attraction of additional resources through the public budget of the city; attracting additional resources through grant support; project management of environmental projects; formation of a team of eco-patrols, their goals and objectives; a guide to transforming the institution into a modern Eco-School. Participants listened to the best practices from the experience of schools of Mykolayiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Kherson, which managed to successfully introduce sorting in their educational institutions. Video from the event can be viewed at  page www.facebook.com/Schoolrecyclingworld.

"I urge members of the public to work closely together to make environmental education one of the priorities of the government and the state, and not just innovators in the field of education. Your partners are ecological and naturalistic centers, stations of young naturalists. Of course, you can count on the support of the National Ecological and Naturalistic Center. " - commented in the introductory speech the head of the expert group on extracurricular education of the Directorate of Preschool, Extracurricular and Inclusive Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Yuri Demidyuk.

The founder of the International Youth Movement "School Recycling World" Julia Markhel said that the continuation of the Marathon will be the project "Ecopatrol best practices" during which the most active general secondary education institutions will receive expert mentoring and a free opportunity to continue distance learning for the next month to implement a sorting program at their school. 

"Without the younger generation, no progress, no change is possible. Children are the engine of progress, because they are more likely to adopt the latest technologies, environmental innovations, begin to teach us, the parents, to live in step with modern trends. We, as the Ministry of Environment and the Environment, are always open to youth projects and their support. We wish you inspiration and inspiration. I hope that together we will be able to clean Ukraine of excess waste. " - she noted Olena Koltik, Director of the Department of Waste Management of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.