Crockery Bank for a Village

Plastics are plaguing our country and it has not left the countryside either. Massive amounts of plastic or lined-paper plates and cups are used in peri-urban areas /villages when they have a wedding or festivities. Almost 1000 people attend any joyous occasion on the day of an event. This means in a single day, waste amounting to 3000 plates, 8000 paper/plastic cups, and 3000 plastic spoons is generated.

A family spends about 10-15000 Rupees on just disposable plates and cups, all of which are then left in the beautiful surrounding, to rot. This waste is often burnt thereafter due to improper waste management systems. Disposable plates and cups are almost impossible and often expensive to recycle as they are soiled and contaminated. Thus, they have a huge impact on our environment.

The plastic plague can stop if we shift from disposables to reusable. Opting for Reusable items has higher environmental and economic benefits than disposing of disposable items, even if it's done ethically. Garbage Free India (GFI), intends to set up a Crockery Bank in a village in Alibaug to encourage the principle of Reuse, thereby preventing waste from polluting the local surroundings and water bodies.

A Crockery Bank has multifold benefits:

• Prevent the burning of disposable crockery waste
• Keep the village clean and beautiful
• Help people enjoy a meal in a healthy way
• Support the livelihood of women from a Self-help group who will run the crockery bank after it is successful and handed over to them (we intend to make the project self sustainable in one year of operation)