Anti Plastic
As a part of 1% change initiative from Geniekids we bring you the experience of Two ladies - Trupti and Sarita two years ago, on republic day, took pledge not to accept plastic bags when go shopping so as to reduce the amount of plastics we bring into our house and as a consequence throw out .
* How are they doing? * Why are they doing? * What we can do? * What all they are doing to reduce the use of plastic? * How are they inspiring neighborhood? They go to door to door and talk to people, they talk to shopkeepers, they do a loads of things - let us all come and learn from from two of them -REDUCE, REUSE AND REFUSE plastics. After we met them personally, we got inspired to not to take any plastic while shopping. There is a lot we can learn from them.
Our Story
Two years ago, on republic day, the guest of honour attending our republic day function, brought to our notice how the whole area is strewn with plastic and also made us familiar with the hazards of plastics. He urged us to make a pledge not to accept plastic bags when we go shopping so as to reduce the amount of plastics we bring into our house and as a consequence throw out .
Sarita and I took a pledge that day to stop taking any plastic bag from anywhere and have been at it with full commitment since then. Yet, we are still left with a huge heap of plastic bags that we had collected over the number of years.
We googled a lot to find out more about the hazards of plastics. It seems a single plastic bag takes approximately a 1000 yrs to break down. This is only a guess put forward by researchers, as plastics have not been around for that long for us to verify the truth in the statement. but, all said and done, it is a known fact that plastics take a long time to break down. Some plastic is recycled and more plastic products are made out of it, or it is put to use in road making. But a lot more plastic is simply dumped in landfills or burned. When burned, plastics release toxic fumes which are carcinogenic in nature. The plastic bags (the thin ones we get from the vegetable market), are blown away by the wind and get into the fields thereby reducing the fertility of the soil.
We both realised that over the period of years, become slaves to the habit of accepting plastic bags whenever we went shopping. I remember that in my own childhood, the gorcery used to come nicely packed in brown paper bags and the flower sellers used to pack them in leaves. Whenever we went to the vegetable market, we always carried our baskets and bags. But as the thin plastic bags became available easily everywhere, we gave up the habit of carrying our shopping bags.
Now again, for the sake of the future of our own children, to give them a safer environment to live in, we have stopped accepting plastic bags. We have also stopped using disposable cutlery and plates during our parties and have started carrying our own tiffin boxes whenever we go to get our breakfast packed from an eating joint. There are several other small things we have started practicing for effective waste management. It may be difficult in the beginning, but it is definitely possible. it only takes some extra effort on our part, but the effort will be worth it in the long run.
Come let us all REDUCE, REUSE AND REFUSE plastics as much as we can.
thanks and regards,
trupti
sarita
Do not shop if you do not have cloth bag
Trupti - Your suggetion "if you do not carry cloth bag do not shop" is very powerful and working for us. Our kids too carry grocerry items in hands if we forget the cloth bags. Asawri is very very particular for not accepting plastic bag form any shop - she is the first one to tell the shop keeper - "pl do not pack in plastic bag".
This started with "not accepting plastic bag while shpping" and have sensitize us in many areas. No disposable cutery, minumum but of chips and biscuit packets (buy from bakery or hot chips), fresh juice at home instaed of packet juice, clean cloth for chapatis and paratha instaed of al. foil and so on.......have to go a long way.
Aditi-Ratnesh
Hats off to all of you!
hi Ratnesh, Aditi, Asawari and Dhrupad,
Frankly speaking, we were not following the avoid plastics as rigorously as you all are till recently. we were only refusing and reusing plastic bags and not using disposable cutlery. but now we too are switching to bakery biscuits and hot chips packed in our own dabba. it will take some time. but we know it is only a matter of unlearning an old habit and learning a new one. thanks for inspiring us to do more. also, the session at geniekids has made me dig deeper into the finer aspects of solid waste management. it will add to our movement of reducing waste. thanks to all of you.
trupti
Raddiwala
e-mail from Trupti
i talked to the raddiwala and two more on my way back home. i asked them as to what exactly they accept as plastic waste. they told me that items like bottles, plastic containers, plastic bags, etc go for recycling and they accept such items at rs 10 per kg. but the items like empty chips packets, thin plastic bags, biscuit wrappers, etc are given to the BBMP garbage collecting vans. these are used in the road work.
i also found some relevant info on the net today.
Recyclable plastics:
• Drinks bottles such as soft drinks bottles, water bottles, juice bottles and
milk bottles
• Food containers such as cooking oil bottles, yoghurt, cream, custard
containers, margarine containers, ready prepared meal containers and
peanut butter jars
• cleaning agent container such as dish washing liquid bottles, dishwasher
detergent bottles, detergent/fabric softener bottles and household
cleaners
• cosmetic or toiletry containers such as shampoo/conditioner, sunscreen,
cleanser/toner/moisturiser, toothpaste, toothbrush and make up
containers like lipstick and mascara
• packaging such as plastic packaging, plastic bags, sandwich bags,
cellophane and sweet packets
• polystyrene cups, trays, food trays (eg. ready packed meat)
• cords - appliance, computer, telephone and extension
• bottle caps
• plastic toys
• seedling trays
• blister packs
Not recyclable
• cling wrap
• tupperware
• sticky tape
• chip packets, chocolate wrappers etc are not plastic
Trupti
Daily Dump
e-mail from Trupti
i visited the place called Daily dump (very close to geniekids) and got some information about plastic waste. Acording to the lady who runs Daily Dump, the kabadiwalas to whom we sell our plastic waste, sell it off to the recyclers located in and around City Market. But the chips, biscuits, kurkure packets are NOT RECYCLABLE and are very very hazardous when they end up in a landfill (which is where they ultimately end up)
She was open to the idea of taking kids to Daily dump for a field visit where kids can get first hand information about composting.(we save transport costs too--it is right behind geniekids :) )
She also suggested that schools can have compost bins which the kids look after.
I shall post more information as i gather more.
regards,
trupti
What choice?
Go Creative
e-mail from Vidya
hmmm..couple of things
for me personally the thought is there, but the will isnt as high as some of them in the last meeting..am still continuing to take plastic bags but reducing it in whatever way i can.
Plastic in the form of chips packets etc, one option is to appeal for its ban which will be a long drawn process.
another would be to create something out of it..something so creative that it'll be preserved for a long time.. and make people "think" and "create"
to me its a better option than throwing it away...
I remember as kids, we used to make dolls out toffees with green plastic wrappers and string them together and hang them up..and they used to stay for ages...so maybe chips packets can be turned into some creative art and craft thingie that all can use either a showpieces or really use (like papermache bowls)..
crazy idea but who knows it may work. - Vidya
Palstic Roads
e-mail from Harini
I've come to understand that BBMP has a tie up with KK PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT PVT LTD regarding recycling of plastic waste.
help to the poor and save our future generations too....
lot of good ideas...thanks for the same...just want to know, like here in germany we are compulsorily collecting garbage in different dustbin and for whole partment also its been collected seperately, and the sperate vans come to collect then, like the recyclable plastic in one, biodegradable waste in seperate bin and non recyclable in other one., papers in seperate bin....
same way, who is doing the job of this seperation in india, as a resident, i was not really seperating it while i was in india, we used to dump it in common dustbin in the apartments......
and to my knowledge, poor kids keep searching for these items in garbage heaps....so just an idea that we can collect the garbage seperately and hand over to these boys who can then give it to recycling organizations.....,
this way we can help them, this is sure a monetory help for them too, whcih we may not have thought of donating to them just like that.,,,,,,
help to the poor and save our future generations too....
lot of good ideas...thanks for the same...just want to know, like here in germany we are compulsorily collecting garbage in different dustbin and for whole partment also its been collected seperately, and the sperate vans come to collect then, like the recyclable plastic in one, biodegradable waste in seperate bin and non recyclable in other one., papers in seperate bin....
same way, who is doing the job of this seperation in india, as a resident, i was not really seperating it while i was in india, we used to dump it in common dustbin in the apartments......
and to my knowledge, poor kids keep searching for these items in garbage heaps....so just an idea that we can collect the garbage seperately and hand over to these boys who can then give it to recycling organizations.....,
this way we can help them, this is sure a monetory help for them too, whcih we may not have thought of donating to them just like that.,,,,,,
Mail from Mr Rasool Khan of KKPWM
Hi all,
i had sent a mail to the MD of KKPWM who make use of plastic waste in road construction. I have now asked him for more specific information about chips, biscuits, kurkure packets, etc. here is his reply:
Miss trupthi.,
First of all we re happy to know that you have taken interest in enviromental act. People like you
have to come forward and act on enviromental issues.
All types of plastic waste can be utilized in constructions of roads.
Where road durabilty will enhance by three folds by using waste plastics. The product we manufacture that is K.K.POLY BLEND
Thank you
K.K.P.W.M PVT LTD
ASIF HASSAN KHAN
[DIRECTOR]
you can visit our website: www.kkplasticroads.com
More info from KKPWM
Hi all,
KKPWM sent one more mail about the kind of stuff they use to make roads. copying the same below:
Hello Trupti,
Amjad
Plastic waste
Hi. we have been reading your lovely comments and we also want to share our own experience. We have been refusing plastic bags from most phalwallas and sabziwallas, and we almost al;ways carry a shopping bag in the boot of our car. We are also educating our driver to use the same practice, but he loves to get plastic bags!!! so the kids have started giving him a disapproving look when he does so!
Another thing, at Sherwood, we have started a group of like minded green people, and we are actively exploring how to get sherwoodians to separate food waste from paper & plastic. ITS paperboarsd have started a program in Bangalore & Hyderabad where they are asking residents to turn in their paper waste (dry , not soggy with food) and they will buy that for 4-5 Rs/ kg. We have been trying to explore who owns that, but no success yet... try typing ITC wealth from waste in google ad you may be able to get details of who runs thi initiative.
At our office we have a green council that has started indiscriminate use of 500ml bislerri bottles that were till recently available in a;l conference rooms and fridges ...instead we have started making available PET bottles and glasses for people to use.
Please keep the comments flowing. Mohit, Nidhi
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