The Eco Trail event was an exciting, activity-packed day where Grade 6 and 7 learners were able to see the realities of waste management in Cape Town and engage with some of the City’s partners who are making a difference in the way waste is handled. Participating in the event were learners from Parkwood Primary School and Kannemeyer Primary School.
 
The exhibition aimed to build on World Environmental Education Day, observed annually on 26 January, by empowering young environmental champions to become Eco Warriors. Through a structured, interactive trail experience, learners were brought into conversations around critical issues, including solid waste, ocean and wildlife conservation, aquatic species protection, and natural resources.

Given the pressing challenge of waste creation in Cape Town, the event provided a platform to inspire actionable change and foster environmental stewardship among the youth.
 
‘Waste management needs to be a topic our young people engage with more meaningfully and more often. Our future depends on buy-in from the youth to see the challenges facing the city, and the planet, when it comes to the way we consume and create waste, and encourage the youth to action change on a small scale or create big solutions for these big problems.
 
‘The aim of World Environmental Education Day is to bring awareness of the waste plight and encourage people to reflect and change. This Eco Trail initiative builds on that to ensure we continue that momentum throughout the year. We need to change the way we create waste together,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.