Clean Cities Project recently held a Waste to Art practical session with approximately 200 students, transforming an ordinary school day into a hands-on experience of environmental action and creative innovation.
The session followed an awareness campaign conducted in April; this time, the objective was clear: learn by doing.
Students from Form 1, Form 3, and the Open Secondary School section were grouped and challenged to transform everyday waste such as plastic bottles, paper scraps, and juice cartons into something valuable.
What followed was a burst of energy and imagination.
Products Created
By the close of the session, the results were difficult to ignore:
- Earrings
- Bracelets
- Necklaces
- Decorative Wall Frames
Tables that had been covered in what most would consider rubbish became small exhibition spaces of color, design, and ingenuity.
It turned out “waste is only waste when we decide it is.”
Learning Beyond the Classroom: Skills, Opportunity, and the Path Ahead
Beyond the art itself, the session created conversations around environmental responsibility and sustainable living.
They learned that creativity can help address environmental challenges and that small actions can contribute to cleaner communities. These students become ambassadors of environmental activism who carry the message to their peers and communities.
More importantly, the session introduced students to the idea that sustainability and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand. What starts as simple craft-making today can become an income-generating opportunity tomorrow to support their livelihoods.
Clean Cities Project continues to advance this work as part of its broader mission to promote environmental innovation and youth empowerment, with support from the Juntanza, a fund by the Comic Relief US Youth Advisory Council.
Looking Ahead
Plans are currently underway for a student exhibition where learners will showcase their creations to the wider community and industry players to build their confidence, visibility, and a tangible connection to markets and enterprise.
If this session is any indication, the future of waste in Malawi may well rest in the hands of young people who are already rewriting its value.
Voices from the School
“I was amazed to see this -at first I thought it was a scam, that you can actually turn waste into something valuable. I have now learned something I can make and even sell when I go back home.”
— Head Prefect, Likuni Boys Secondary School
