by Sara Al Hinai

As a part of our YFEL initiative I established with my group, I have taken it upon myself to start an initiative towards plastic recycling in my community. I have collaborated with Saraa Private School to start a plastic recycling and gardening initiative. It started with collecting empty water bottles to be used as planting pots. The initiative started at home by collecting water bottles used by my household and then preparing the bottles for gardening (e.g. cutting bottles and poking holes through). Plants selected were diverse, ranging from native plants, fruits, leafy greens and flowers. Native plants included Acacia Arabica, Mesquites and Moringa Peregrina. The purpose of selecting such species is to promote sustainable landscaping with climate appropriate plants and to educate students on such types of native plants. In addition, flower planted was the Mirabilis or the Four o’clock flower and that is to add variety and colorful aesthetics to the landscaping. Lastly, yielding crops were planted such as thyme, green beans, pumpkin, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Figure 1- Collection of used plastic bottles

Figure 2- Start of plantation in June 2020

Figure 3- Close up of recycled plastic as plant pots

Figure 4- Plantation at end of September 2020

Figure 5- Second batch of plantation