Say No to Single Use Plastics

Rampant use of plastic is causing lot of damage to us all humans, to other living creatures and to Nature as a whole. In some cases this damage is irreversible. Untold misery to animals, birds, aquatic life; choked drains & urban floods; high incidence of cancer; pollution of land, water, vegetation and air; ugly streets and surroundings; mosquito breeding etc., are some examples of the harm to Environment caused by plastics. Indiscriminate use of Single Use Plastics, irresponsible disposal, weak garbage collection systems, low awareness rate are some of the reasons which need to be fixed. Even though there is some legislation in place, it is proving insufficient due to poor implementation. What is needed is a collective strong will of all the stakeholders to drastically reduce the production and use of Single Use Plastics. The root cause of Plastic pollution is its durability and quality of being non-biodegradable. Though efforts are on to find technological solutions to this, the best way to deal with this is bringing a behavioural change in the attitude of people towards plastic. 

Plastic pollution is tackled in many ways, but we focus on Awareness as it is the first step to action. The power of people can change even the deeply penetrated collective habits. We will identify an area in terms of geography and demography, expose the people to the negative impacts of plastics on Natural environment. Campus of an educational institute, a township are some examples. For this, we will run strong campaigns with appealing content that forces people to act. Virtual /on ground events are used for this. To save time and for effective monitoring Social Media groups are formed. Next, we explain the strategy and develop consensus of all stockholders. In the beginning we will be moderately incentivising people to wean away from addiction to plastics and simultaneously make available the alternatives and educate them about the use of the same. Volunteers will be enrolled from within the target population and oriented to execute and monitor the progress. Suggested timelines are 9 to 12 months. Focus among SUPs is thin Plastic Carry bag. The program will be documented to capture the before and after scenarios. Support of local small businesses and Government officials will be enlisted. 

Exemplary beginning with the considerable reduction in the use of Single Use Plastic - thin carry bags, will lay a strong foundation for the Plastic Free neighbourhood. Change in the plastic use habits among the residents, students, housewives, maids, office goers, senior citizens, local businesses, the members of the RWA, local government officials and peoples representatives. With the people accepting the use of alternative substitutes for the plastic carry bag, supporting mechanisms to ensure the market availability is put in place. Creating a highly motivated team of volunteers who are sensitive to the Plastics issue, continue the good work in the community. The way people lead their lives and celebrate festivities moves towards eco-friendly lifestyles. Focus will be extended beyond carry bags to different Single Use Items. Students in the community engage in periodical SUP contests and receive prizes. Efforts will be made to promote the cause in social and mainstream media for enhanced outreach. Feedback from covered population will be gathered, strategy refined to increase effectiveness and smoothen the bottlenecks. A template based solution to the SUP threat will be developed and shared with people wanting to take up similar initiatives. Proper plastic disposal ways are put in place. 

https://youtu.be/HDLVYDGa01c