From Waste to Wonder — Popondetta Primary School’s Approach

Fourth-grade students at Popondetta Primary School in Oro Province created “trash art” pieces as part of their environmental studies. By using everyday waste materials, the activity aimed to provide a fun and engaging way to learn about environmental issues while encouraging students to reflect on their own behavior.

This initiative was led by JICA Volunteer Yu Suzuki (Youth Activities), who has been assigned to the school. Suzuki has been actively promoting student-centered learning through mathematics and environmental education, and in this program, he was involved in every stage—from lessons and beach cleanup to artwork production.

After learning about water pollution and the reality of marine debris, the student took part in a cleanup activity at nearby Oro Bay Beach. They then transformed the collected waste into original art pieces, combining plastic waste, seashells, and seaweed with paints and glue. The colorful and imaginative works will be submitted to a contest in Japan, sharing the creativity of Papua New Guinean students with the wider world.


Suzuki commented, “I could see the students thinking deeply and expressing themselves through trash art. I hope this experience inspires them to change their future behavior.”