16 Simple Yet Genius Initiatives That're Helping Us Clean Up The Plastic Mess That Plagues Our Planet
We all know that our planet's seas and oceans are choking on plastic waste that's very conveniently being thrown into them. We seem to think of water as some black hole where everything disappears. Everything that we throw or have thrown in the water is coming back to us. It's estimated that humans dump an average of 8 trillion kilograms of plastic into the oceans every year. That's a lot of pollutants that don't break down.
But there are some people and authorities around the world who are working to reduce that. Here are some best ecologic initiatives being used to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic.
1. Local vendors using leaves instead of plastic to wrap fish.
Single-use plastic was supposed to be banned in India from October 2, and we staunchly believe that it is the need of the hour. Small-scale changes are already being made. Plastic straws are being replaced by sturdy paper straws in restaurants and bamboo is coming out as a strong alternative for plastic.
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Steps are even being taken on local levels to reduce the use of - or completely replace - plastic. Kiren Rijiju recently shared a video on Twitter, which went viral. A part of the caption explained where it was from, 'A local meat vendor at remote Tirbin, Lepa Rada Dist, Arunachal Pradesh.'?
In the images above, you can see how vendors are using leaves instead of plastic bags, to sell edibles.
2. A company is selling 11 million shoes with thread made from the plastic waste of our oceans.
The fashion industry is a major part of our pollution problem, because the materials used are often ones like polyester or nylon, which have plastic microfibres embedded in them. So, obviously, creating more of it is bad, and the same goes for shoes too.
So, Adidas is attempting to do something about this, at least where their manufacturing process is concerned. Sports shoes have plastic content after all, and when people toss them out, that ends up in landfills or the oceans, where it pollutes our ecosystem.
Adidas says that it expects to make 11 million pairs of shoes this year, using recycled ocean plastic; that's more than double the number of pairs it made this way in 2018. According to the company, their efforts has resulted in 2,810 tonne of plastic being kept out of the oceans.
ADIDAS/PARLEY
3. Have a full meal at this cafe in exchange for plastic waste.
The country's first garbage cafe has been launched in Chhattisgarh. Under this, the Municipal Corporation will provide food to the poor and homeless in exchange for plastic waste. Not only does this scheme provide initiative for people to clean up plastic waste, it also helps feed people who do not have enough money to buy food.
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4. School accepts plastic waste as fees, in Guwahati.
Akshar School in Guwahati has made headlines for a different reason. The school has launched a first-of-its-kind fee structure - students bring with them bags full of?plastic waste and give it to the school as fees.
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5. The cement industry has shown how waste can be used as an alternative fuel by disposing off plastic Ravana on Dussehra.
While we are making some effort to reduce the amount of plastic we use, what do we do with the already existing piles of this toxic material?
The 35-feet effigy stood along with the traditional three effigies used in 'Ravana Dahan' during the festival of Dusshera. This fourth effigy was shot down and disposed mechanically as part of an initiative by the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
"Plastic would be used as a replacement of coal if it is rightfully used. If you burn plastics otherwise, then it may emit foul gasses. When it gets burnt at 1,400 degrees Celsius, its hydrocarbons gets fully burnt so it becomes environment-friendly," Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd Group CEO and CMA President Mahendra Singhi told IANS.
6. UP couple reuses plastic bottles to build a homestay.
What do you do with plastic waste when you know that it's detrimental to the environment and is resulting in its rampant degradation? There are no easy answers to this, but reusing and recycling is one way to go about it, and a couple from the state of Uttar Pradesh has set an excellent example with their simple initiative.?
As per a report, a four-room homestay has been constructed near Nainital, using over 26,000 bottles. The report highlights that the house has been built by Deepti Sharma and her husband, who wanted to send out a positive message to the public.
HT
7. A farmer collects plastic waste to grow plants!
One of the people who is making a change at a personal level by cutting down plastic pollution is a farmer from Kotumachagi village, Veeresh Negali. Veeresh collects plastic items from places like hotels, grocery stores, pan shops. He asks for unused trays and plastic bags. He then uses this discarded plastic to plant saplings.?
He cleans the plastic bags he collects, fills them with mud and organic manure, and grows plants.?
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8. Bring 500 grams of plastic and get free food in Siliguri!
With plastic trash hitting the sky and choking the environment, some people are doing their bit to reduce pollution and save the planet.? A group of alumni from a school in Siliguri, West Bengal, are spreading awareness regarding the safe disposal of plastic waste. The alumni, through a unique initiative, have started distributing food free of cost to the people who deposit 500 grams of plastic waste.
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9. Assam man creates eco-friendly water bottles out of bamboo.
In a lot of places, bamboo products are replacing plastic. Given the benefits of Bamboo that far exceed those of plastic, an eco-friendly water bottle has been developed by a former IITian from Assam, Dhritiman Bora. These bottles come in different sizes, and the cost varies between Rs 400 and Rs 600.?
10. IFS officers in Andaman are using Bamboo pots for saplings.
Planting trees is the need of the hour. But if you have ever planted a tree, you would know that saplings are usually kept in plastic bags or containers before being planted.?
To discourage??and restrict?the use of plastic, the IFS officers in the Andaman islands are using bamboo pots instead of plastic bags, to grow saplings. This is being done in one of the nurseries in Jirkatang village, reportedly under the division of Vipul Pandey, an IFS officer who is working as Assistant Conservator of Forest in the South Andaman Division.?
VIPUL PANDEY
11. Turning plastic waste into bricks to build homes and reduce pollution.
Single-use plastic is a hazard, and a widespread one at that. Thankfully, we're trying to cut down on that, but just banning it is not going to cut it. We need to come up with ways to recycle and reuse it.
One solution is converting that into building material. The idea of 'eco-bricks' has been around for a while, and it's not even something that requires a unique chemical process to make. You could turn all the single-use plastic in your home into eco-bricks with just a little time and patience. Read more
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12. Hyderabad-based professor, Satish Kumar, made petrol from plastic.
A Hyderabad-based mechanical engineer has done wonders by making petrol out of used plastic, and now he is selling it at Rs 40 per litre. Professor Satish Kumar had founded a company registered with the ministry of micro, small, and medium enterprises. He made petrol with the help of a three-step process known as plastic pyrolysis.
news18
13. Thailand supermarket uses banana leaves instead of plastic, to wrap veggies.
The Rimping supermarket in Chiangmai is now using banana leaves instead of plastic, for packaging. Pictures of produce wrapped in Banana leaves from the market are all the rage on social media and an inspiration for many people to follow suit.
perfecthomes
14. A boat made from 10 tonnes of plastic & 30,000 flip flops.
The Flipflopi, as it's called, is a life-size sailing boat, approximately 30 feet long. More importantly, it's constructed entirely from 10 tonnes of recycled plastic and around 30,000 flip flops. And on January 24, 2020, the boat will sail almost 500 km across the Indian Ocean from Lamu to Stone Town in Zanzibar.
FLIPFLOPI
15. Cash for trash: Indonesia village banks on waste recycling.
Overwhelmed by a spike in waste imports after China closed its doors to foreign garbage, Indonesia has tightened import rules and customs inspections, sending hundreds of tonnes of foreign waste back to their origin countries.?
Indonesia villagers look for plastic and aluminum to sell to recycling firms. Tofu makers also buy waste to burn as fuel when making the soy-based food. Masud said the money from sorting trash is used to fund activities such as sending villagers on the Haj pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.
“Every year 17-20 people from this village go on a Haj. That’s funded from this waste,” he said.
Reuters
16. Trash for tickets on Indonesia's 'plastic bus'.
What Indonesia has done is truly commendable and inspirational. The country has introduced a unique system of saving the planet from plastic in the form of a 'plastic bus', wherein passengers are not charged money but trash for tickets. So, if at a bus terminal in the city of Surabaya, you see people standing in a long queue with bags full of plastic bottles and cups, do not be surprised, as that's how passengers are buying tickets there, by swapping trash for tickets!
Reuters
