TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO LEARNING: SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES AT THE DOM LINO VOMBOMMEL MUNICIPAL SCHOOL, SANTARÉM - PARÁ

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on waste management in schools, encouraging recycling and reuse to reduce environmental impacts and improve quality of life. This study addresses the problem of solid waste generation in the school environment and the importance of environmental education as a tool to promote sustainable practices. The research was developed at the Dom Lino Vombommel Municipal Elementary School, located in the municipality of Santarém, in the state of Pará, with the objective of analyzing and encouraging practices of reduction, reuse, and proper disposal of solid waste produced in the school environment. The methodology adopted was based on awareness-raising activities, observation of daily school life, development of educational actions aimed at students and the school community, using interactive lectures with students and teachers as instruments. Among the main results were the reactivation of a school garden with reused materials, workshops on reuse with PET bottles, gardening with reused tires, and concluded with a discussion circle where the themes of environment, environmental education, waste, recycling, and reuse were addressed with "little ant" students. The results show that environmental education promotes changes in students' attitudes, increasing awareness and engagement in reducing and reusing waste. It was concluded that the school plays a fundamental role in the formation of citizens who are aware of and committed to preserving the environment, becoming a strategic space for the development of sustainable practices and for building a culture of socio-environmental responsibility.