Parents of more than 2,400 children from 29 municipal kindergartens in 10 districts in our country said “No!” to plastic cups. During parental meetings they made the decision to buy chrome reusable metal cups for their children. Each jar has an individual symbol so that the child knows and uses it without the need for washing and sterilization after each drink of water. The solution meets the requirements of Regulation No. 3: an individual cup with a unique symbol for each child in the group, which can be used only for water only. This saves energy and resources, both on the environment and on the budget of parents and kindergarten. Once purchased, the metal cup can be used throughout the 4-year stay of the child in the nursery, and after its completion – to use at home.
However, the use of disposable plastic cups is still commonplace in over 1,800 childcare facilities in the country. This leads to both health risks for children and environmental risks. Plastic cups are not recycled and remain in the environment for between 300 and 500 years. As they decompose gradually, particles of them fall into soil, water and air. From the environment, microplastics are easily transmitted to the human body – along the food chain by animals and plants or by the air we breathe. It has already been scientifically proven that accumulated in the body leads to hormonal disorders and many diseases.
The mission of the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development (PECSD) is to have every parent, teacher and principal in kindergarten saying “I choose a reusable glass.” So do you! Clean environment = healthy children!
Translator: Valentina Vagge