Recycling and including

A recycling laboratory that unites: inclusion and sustainability at Majorana

An innovative project that promotes inclusion and sustainability through recycling, involving students with disabilities and their classmates working together.

On the first floor of our Institute, clatter of scissors, sound of laughter and lively conversations give waste materials a new life.

It is not a simple recycling art and craft, but an actual experience of social inclusion and sustainability. Here, students with disabilities and their classmates work together, collaborate contribute to environmental care while different abilities are mixed for a common aim.

A project born from collaboration

The recycling lab was created thanks to the collaboration between support teachers who wanted to create an inclusive educational project about urgent issues such as waste management, respect for the environment and the valorization of differences. Professor Giuseppina Grazioso, coordinator of the Lab says: “the idea is to have students with different abilities learning not only recycling techniques, but also the value of cooperation”.

Students collect waste such as plastic, paper, glass and metal, and then transform them into new objects. Each step of the process – from collection to design, to final creation – is meant to involve everyone, respecting individual abilities and skills.

Inclusion in practice

What makes the lab unique is its inclusive approach. Students with disabilities, supported by specialized educators, take part to the activities, using tools and techniques that enrich their creativity. For example, some blind students use tactile devices to recognize materials, while others with motor difficulties are assisted in manipulating objects through ergonomic equipment.

The mix of practical and theoretical activities helps students to learn by doing and thanks to a positive atmosphere developing their social skills. “The laboratory is not only an educational experience, but also a place where our students learn to know each other, to overcome difficulties and to enhance their potential,” adds Professor Grazioso.

An experience that goes beyond school

The recycling project also includes a charity Christmas market for teachers and families. It’s also an opportunity for increasing the student’s self-confidence thanks to the appreciation of their craftworks.

A life lesson

The recycling workshop besides green techniques is a way of developing soft skills overcoming physical and mental barriers. “We created something beautiful together that makes me proud” says Giovanni, a fourth-grade student.

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability and inclusion, this lab is a model of how education can be a powerful vehicle to build a more equitable, aware and environmentally friendly society. An example that shows that, with the right amount of commitment, creativity and collaboration, it is possible to break down barriers enhancing the human factor.

Prof. Claudia Nuzzo – I.S. Majorana Bari