CREASION Nepal in support of WWF Nepal establishes a waste smart museum in Chitwan National Park check-point. As Chitwan national park is a home to many endangered flora and fauna as well as houses many incoming tourists, the project ‘Empowering Youth Towards a Zero-Waste National Park’ is implemented to create a positive nexus in effective waste management, sustainable eco-tourism with zero-carbon footprint as well as empowerment of the local communities specifically by educating, empowering and inspiring a generation of youth and children for proper waste management.
The waste smart museum is one of its kind innovative models which is designed to provide the visitors and the locals a conscious outlook towards conservation and source segregation of waste. The installation of a museum is a step towards bridging the gap of knowledge at a grassroots level. The museum is an assemblage of two manual bottles crushers, display LED screen, LED posters and allotted dustbins where visitors can reduce the volume of the plastic waste with the help of a crusher and effectively dispose different waste to the allotted dustbins. The infographics in the museum aware the community by disseminating messages related to waste management, environmental conservation and sustainability.
The museum looks forward to collecting 1000 kgs of waste within the period of 10 months for recycling purposes.
The initiative is an effort to inculcate behavioral changes in people by actively engaging local youth and children. The project till date has been able to reach 100 youth and 200 children through five waste-smart eco clubs in schools of Kasara and Sauraha, zero waste trainings as well as clean up campaigns. All these activities align in protecting the biodiversity of the national park from human activities mainly the haphazard disposal of waste. The waste smart museum was inaugurated in an event organized in Sauraha on September 23, 2021 in the presence of Mr. Narayan Ban, Mayor of Ratnanagar Municipality, Mr. Ananath Baral, Chief Warden, Chitwan National Park, Mr. Bala Ram Dahal, Ward Chairperson, Ward No. 6, Ratnanagar Municipality, Mr. Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION and representatives from WWF Nepal. Goodwill ambassador of CREASION and acclaimed actor, Dayahang Rai was also present for inauguration event.