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Housing societies and schools join fight against plastic waste

BySabah Virani, Mumbai
Aug 05, 2023 12:27 AM IST

Students at Navy Public School in Colaba have taken an oath to segregate and recycle their plastic waste, with the support of the surrounding Navy Nagar buildings. The initiative is part of the monthly Plastic Recyclothon organized by NGO Project Mumbai, which aims to change people's attitudes towards single-use plastic. Other building collectives, corporates, and schools across the city are also participating in the initiative. The Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers in Powai has been collecting low-grade and multi-layer plastic for recycling since 2020, collecting 25 tons so far. Project Mumbai funds the plastic collection and recycling through CSR initiatives.

“I pledge to segregate the wet and dry waste I generate, especially the plastic waste and see to it that it does not end up in a landfill. I shall ensure that it is recycled.”

Housing societies and schools join fight against plastic waste
Housing societies and schools join fight against plastic waste

With this oath taken on Friday morning, students at Navy Public School in Colaba declared themselves as foot soldiers in the fight against plastic waste. They were supported by the 100 plus buildings that make up Navy Nagar, who, beginning on August 25, will not only segregate their plastic waste, but send it for recycling so that it could be re-made into different products like plastic benches, garbage bins, pencil cases, etc.

“We do segregate and recycle our plastic waste. It’s just that people need to be reminded every now and then to make it a habit,” Sasthi Tripathy, head of Naval Wives Welfare Association, said.

Navy Nagar adds to a long list of building collectives, corporates and schools in the monthly activity across the city, under the banner of Plastic Recyclothon by NGO Project Mumbai. Individuals and collectives collect their plastic waste over the entire month, drop it off at a pre-decided place, which is then picked up by a van the next day.

Last month, the posh Cuffe Parade had their first plastic drop-off in the neighborhood park. “Many residents are already environmentally conscious. So, adding ourselves to the pick-up point on Plastic Recyclothon’s route seemed a natural step,” Hansu Pardiwala from Cuffe Parade Residents Association said.

Of the 49 buildings in the association, seven to eight dropped off their plastic – a scant number Pardiwala attributed to the fresh start and heavy rain. Dry and wet waste segregation is routine in some of the buildings, although many do not do it as they complain BMC mixes the waste again.

The residents of 35 buildings in Powai have gone a step further. Their collection, said Mamata Asthana, president of Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers, consists mainly of low grade and multi-layer plastic that does not fetch much value in the informal recycling chain that is run by house helps, waste pickers, garbage collectors, scrap collectors, etc. Despite the flimsy nature of these plastics, they manage to collect 500 kg every 15 days, and have collected 25 tons till now.

They have also been doing this for a long time. “We began with 11 buildings in 2020, sending our plastic waste directly to a recycler in August that year. The funding for it is managed by Rotary Club. In March 2021, we tied up with Project Mumbai’s Plastic Recyclothon,” Asthana said.

Project Mumbai funds the plastic collection and recycling through CSR initiatives.

“Project Mumbai’s goal is to ensure a behavior change in people’s approach towards single use plastic,” its CEO and founder Shishir Joshi said.

It has its beginnings in 2018, making it to the Limca Book of Records in 2020 as the largest citizen-led initiative to recycle plastic. The amount of plastic it has saved from going into the landfills in the last four years is 75 tons.

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