Bamyan collects recyclable trash on World Environment Day

5 Jun 2011

Bamyan collects recyclable trash on World Environment Day

5 June 2011 – Dozens of young people today picked up trash in Bamyan city to mark World Environment Day and to draw attention to the importance of nature in the sustainable development of Afghanistan.

 

The Afghan National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) led today’s event which included collecting recyclables around the airport, bazaar, main roads and the World Heritage sites – including the caverns which once housed the giant Buddha statues.

The event was meant to be an “awareness-raising exercise for the town” where residents could learn by doing, according to Andrew Scanlon, UNEP’s Protected Areas Expert.

The trash bags were sorted at the UNEP compound into batteries, plastic, and paper to be made into briquettes for winter fuel, and given to non-government organizations that recycle waste.

This year’s theme, “Forests: Nature at Your Service”, is meant to highlight the connections between human well-being, sustainable livelihoods and the health of ecosystems, said Mohammad Zaher Maher with NEPA’s International Environmental Affairs Division.

“As Afghanistan grows, it has an opportunity to deliver better environment and employment opportunities in a green economy,” he added. 

In other parts of the country, students from Kabul University organized activities in partnership with the Departments for Environment, Agriculture and Education. In Jalalabad, speakers reiterated the need to protect forests in Kunar and Nuristan provinces and Spenghar district of Nangarhar province.

By UNAMA Central Highlands Region