Municipal solid waste: promoting environmental education in the school

The increase in the number of people in the world, coupled with the concentration of populations in cities, has resulted in problems such as increased waste production and, consequently, diseases related to environmental pollution. The growing scale of production of municipal solid wastes (MSWs), associated with increased consumption, and the improper disposal of such waste, make it imperative to improve levels of awareness, and encourage the segregation and correct elimination of such waste, in order to minimize the hazards. Thus, this study aimed to discuss, in the school, the issues related to MSWs, including the production, storage, reuse, and proper disposal of these materials in order to provide environmental preservation, protection of health, and enhanced social conditions. The extension activities described in this work were conducted in 2012 at the Centro de Ensino Mourão Rangel, located in the city of Imperatriz (Maranhão). Interaction with the students employed educational games, paradidactic material, lectures, and discussions, in order to promote the exchange of knowledge through an open conversation among those involved. From the results obtained, it was observed that there was an effective participation of students, teachers, and school management during the execution of the entire extension activity, demonstrating the interest shown in the theme. It could be concluded that this activity definitely helped to increase the range of information available on environmental issues, with emphasis on MSWs, as well as improve the level of critical thinking concerning the conservation of natural resources. It is important to emphasize the need to maintain a dialogue between the university and schools in order to disseminate vital information that can be of benefit to the community.