KUZ is the winner of the eku Future Prize 2023
During a half-day workshop, the project provides primary school pupils with a basic understanding of the processes and interrelationships that are necessary for a functioning circular economy for plastics and raises awareness of the responsible use of plastics as a recyclable material. The RecyclingDay aims to impart the KUZ's broad knowledge in the fields of plastics processing and recycling in an age-appropriate and practical way. The project pursues the following goals:
- Raising awareness of recycling and a sustainable lifestyle
- Responsible use of plastic as a recyclable material
- External knowledge exchange with civil society
- Promotion of young talent
In cooperation with schools in the Leipzig area, existing school project days and weeks on related topics such as waste avoidance, waste separation and sustainability are built upon and the lessons learned are combined into an overall picture as part of RecyclingDay.
The KUZ regularly trains teachers in the content of RecyclingDay in a further training event. The main focus is on the problem-free operation of the available mobile and compact machine technology with the aim of being able to hold future workshops directly at the schools themselves. For this purpose, the machine technology available at the KUZ (manual shredder and manual injection molding machine) can be loaned to the school as part of a project week, for example. In the Leipzig area, the equipment can be transported in a climate-friendly way using the company's own electric cargo bike.
There are plans to expand the project to secondary schools in the future.
About the competition
This year, the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture (SMEKUL) awarded the "eku - Future Prize for Energy, Climate, Environment 2023" to 219 entries from companies, scientific institutions, municipalities and civil society actors. The prize money totaling almost 1.1 million euros is awarded in the two categories "eku idea" for project ideas and "eku success" for completed projects. The prize will be awarded again in 2024.
