Essen-Rellinghausen. The 4a of the Ardeyschule in Essen-Rellinghausen prevailed against secondary schools in the E-Waste-Race. It was about sustainability.
The “E-Waste-Race” competition took place for the first time in Essen held.Winners were the Elementary school students at the Ardey School in Rellinghausen. They collected large amounts e-waste.
Pupils from the Ardey School in Essen-Rellinghausen collected electronic waste and took first place in the “E-Waste-Race” competition. The fourth grade of elementary school had a total of 2306 parts, including coffee machines and telephones. With the largest number of parts, it was the only primary school to prevail against seven other schools in Essen. The competition, which was held in Essen for the first time, was not only about topics such as recycling and sustainability, but also about teamwork and fun.
Anke Seifert, headmistress of the Ardey School, looked back at the award ceremony in the primary school’s schoolyard: “We were a bit skeptical at first, because after all we were the only primary school that took part. However, many people from outside found out about the project and donated their e-waste, thereby supporting us.” Class teacher Silke Niehues came up with the idea of taking part in the competition. “The children definitely had a lot of fun,” said Anke Seifert.
The students collected headphones, cables and electronic waste of all kinds in four weeks.
Photo: Ardeyschule
For four weeks, the students from eight schools in Essen collected around 9,000 electronic waste items as part of the “E-Waste-Race”. You could give away pretty much anything, from cables to vacuum cleaners. However, the devices were not allowed to be longer than 50 centimeters, and rechargeable batteries and batteries had to be removed beforehand to avoid the risk of fire. The scrap was sent for recycling after registration for the competition.
Pupils from the eight schools in Essen collected a total of 9,000 parts
According to class teacher Silke Niehues, the children had previously dealt with the topic of sustainability as part of a project week. “We asked ourselves why electronic waste cannot simply be disposed of with household waste. For example, the children researched what copper actually is and how it can be properly disposed of and then recycled.”
The students then mainly collected cables, vacuum cleaners, irons and coffee machines. The disposal companies would have come several times a week to take away and dispose of the collected parts. All the children would have participated and taken on at least one of the various tasks.
The project was documented with a flyer and a short film. “It was a nice final project for the class community. We are incredibly happy and also proud that we were able to prevail against all secondary schools,” says Silke Niehues, who was impressed by the children’s commitment and their honesty: “Every line was checked, every large part was measured.”
The children of the Ardey School were enthusiastic about the project of the non-profit initiative “Das macht Schule”. “This is something completely different from normal lessons,” they report on the sidelines of the award ceremony. “We were happy about the change and it’s also a nice reminder of our elementary school days.”
The profit of 1000 euros should also flow into a class party
The EUR 1,000 prize, which was intended to go towards a class party, was presented by Simone Raskob, head of the environmental department, together with Anna Kamienski, branch manager of Sparkasse Stadtwaldplatz. Simon Gerich from Essen Disposal Services (EBE) presented an ice cream voucher and Mayor Thomas Kufen personally congratulated the students on their win. “You really deserve first place in the E-Waste Race,” said Essen’s mayor. “You worked hard during the four weeks and learned important things about recycling. Your collection efforts are exemplary.”
In Germany alone, 1.7 million tons of electronic waste are generated every year. This contains valuable raw materials, but less than half is properly disposed of, the participants found out.
The Gustav-Heinemann-Gesamtschule took second and third place with 2082 and the LVR-Wilhelm-Körber-School with 2130 collected pieces of electronic waste. They each received prize money of 250 and 150 euros.
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