As part of our month-long plastic clean-up drive from South Delhi’s public parks, it was time to extend this initiative closer home. With the support of a few close friends and acquaintances, I created a Facebook event titled ‘C.R Park H-Block Clean Up’ on May 6, Sunday. Through the event, we mobilised a few Chittaranjan Park residents to take part in this community-led plastic clean-up initiative and drive home the point that keeping our neighbourhoods clean is not limited to only sweepers and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). It was a call to action for C.R Park residents to take collective responsibility for their surroundings and environment.
Most importantly, the central idea behind the clean-up drive was to raise awareness about the hazard of single-use disposable plastics like straws, water bottles, cellophane bags, food packaging etc., which are used for only minutes before being discarded. Due to lack of viable recycling centres in Delhi, this waste then goes into our ever-increasing landfills, which poses serious health and environmental issues. The point of the clean-up drive was to inform and educate people about sustainable ‘alternatives’ to disposable plastic.
It was encouraging to see a 4-year-old and a 70-year-old participating in the drive together, setting an example for many to shed their inhibitions about picking trash. The biggest source of motivation was to hear some residents assure us of their participation next time around. Some also joined us along the way!
Although only a few participated in the event, it was a success right from the moment we decided to organise the clean-up. Going forward, we plan to hold such clean-ups on weekends so more residents can participate and educate others on the problems related to single-use disposable plastic.
Beat Plastic Pollution
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