As part of the AWASTER project, Sunce carried out educational and creative activities in elementary schools in Split, including Visoka Elementary School and Skalice Elementary School. Educational and creative workshops, a cleanup action, exhibitions, and the transfer of knowledge from children to parents are just some of the AWASTER project activities implemented in Split’s elementary schools.

– Our goal is to raise awareness among students, as well as their parents, about the importance of proper waste management. We also aim to promote environmental protection through a practical and innovative approach. – said Tea Kuzmičić Rosandić, the project coordinator at Sunce.

Can parents learn about environmental protection from their children?

The answer to that question came through workshops organized in the Split elementary schools Visoka and Skalice as part of the AWASTER educational program. Together with their parents, teachers, Sunce staff, and artist Nives Čičin-Šain, the children used waste materials—some of which were collected during a cleanup action at Pantan Beach in Trogir—to design and create numerous new items. They made pinwheels from plastic bottle caps, picture frames, pencil holders, and decorations from cherry pits.

– Children, together with their parents, made useful items from waste at home. We showcased their creations at an exhibition held on the school’s anniversary, May 29. – said teacher Mira Voloder from Visoka elementary school. In addition to the permanent exhibition set up in the school’s atrium, the AWASTER project was also presented on the School’s Day on May 6, 2025, where students introduced both the activities they had completed and those still to come as part of the educational program.

The exhibition was set up at Skalice and Visoka Elementary Schools at the beginning of May and was open to all students, teachers, parents, and other school visitors.

– Students who participate in the Eco Group enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to take part in the AWASTER project. – said teacher Magda Armanda from Skalice elementary school.

The path to sustainability begins with knowledge

The AWASTER educational program, which provided students with the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare exhibitions, began in March this year.

– We introduced students to the basic concepts of the circular economy and the issues surrounding marine waste. – said workshop facilitator Tihana Arapović.

At the end of April and the beginning of May, Sunce organized the workshops titled “Use and Reuse.”

– The goal is to bring the concept of the circular economy closer to children in practice and to show students that marine waste is not necessarily just waste, but with a little imagination and creativity, waste can take on new forms that can be reused. – said Dalka Zanki, workshop facilitator.

Students created new, useful, or artistic items from the collected waste materials, thereby learning in a practical way about the value of recycling and reuse. The students were especially delighted by the collaboration with artist Nives Čičin-Šain.

– By combining inspiration and recognizing waste, we devised new purposes for many discarded items, most of which were plastic. – said Čičin-Šain.

Cleanup action – putting knowledge into practice

Students from the mentioned schools also participated in the cleanup action at Pantan. As part of the cleanup, students took part in the fun and educational game wastehunt.

This cleanup action, which was also one of Sunce’s events during Sustainability Week held in celebration of Earth Day, gave students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they had learned in the field. The focus was on recognizing and sorting waste that can be reused.

New phase of the project: innovations in EcoLabs

With the completion of the workshops and the presentation of the students’ work to their parents, AWASTER is entering a new phase that will offer students even more hands-on work, research, and creativity. Soon, Split’s schools will receive their own small innovation labs—EcoLabs. These are technically equipped spaces where students, supported by mentors, will recycle, model, and experiment with waste. This new stage opens the door to a deeper understanding of the circular economy and gives children the opportunity to become true young innovators. The first results of their work will be presented at the project’s final conference next year.