Survey Reveals 44% People Use Plastic Bottles To Drink Water In Mumbai

Green Pencil Foundation organized a Survey-cum-Session on Waste Management in Seva Sadan's College Of Education, Ulhasnagar. The ever increasing usage of plastic and polythene in our daily life is not just harmful to human health, but also very dangerous to nature and biodiversity.

Green Pencil started Green Campus Initiative, an initiative for plastic and polythene-free campuses. The survey was conducted, and it was followed by an interactive session on Waste Management by Rakshita Manglani, City Head of Green Pencil Foundation, Mumbai. In the survey, many questions were asked about the united sustainability goals and domestic challenges related to plastic and polythene waste.

Focus on awareness of plastic pollution

As per the study, 44 percent people use plastic bottles to drink water on campuses. Due to the presence of a chemical called phthalates in plastic, it can lead to problems like liver cancer and sperm count reduction (in men)— a recent study done by the State University of New York in Fredonia. Sandeep Khanda, who is the founder of the Green Pencil Foundation, said that we all need to focus on more awareness of plastic and polythene pollution and its negative impact on humans and the environment. College student Madeeha shared that many sustainable and better options are available in the market. During the survey, 69.2 percent of students said that their family members were using polythene bags to carry vegetables from the market. The littering of discarded polythene in open spaces creates unhygienic conditions, as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and mosquitoes that cause diseases like malaria and dengue.

Moreover, polythene does not undergo degradation, thus staying in the soil for many years, which affects soil fertility and degrades the soil quality. Sandeep Khanda said we should be responsible humans, and eliminate polythene and plastic products from our daily life for the future of people and Mother Earth. The survey also found that 59.5 percent of people do not use dustbin in their cars. The question for users of polythene and plastics is, if they throw something on the road, who will pick it up?

As 70 % is not recycled, now only Reduce and Reuse

India generates around 3.4 million tonnes (MT) of plastic waste, a report said on Wednesday, noting that only 30 percent of it is recycled. Sandeep Khanda quoted that reduce, reuse and recycle now we have to change with reduce and reuse only as we fail to recycle 70 percent of our plastic waste produced. Being human, being a society, and being a policymaker, it is the responsibility of everyone to fight plastic and polythene pollution.

During the survey, 54.1 percent of students were not aware of how many UN Sustainability Goals are there. Sandeep Khanda said students need to be groomed at the school and college level to become Green Champions by eliminating plastic and polythene from their life. During the survey, 28.6 percent of students said that the Waste Management situation in their locality was bad.

Rakshita Mangalni said that our waste is our responsibility. Dr. Renuka Shewkani, In-charge Principal of Seva Sadan's College of Education, said that individual efforts and awareness on a large scale in schools and colleges will help in shaping a better plastic, polythene-free, and sustainable society and future. During the survey, 14.3 percent expressed that they had never been educated about proper waste disposal.

Proper Waste Management should be taught at school, college level

Sandeep Khanda said that proper education and practice on Waste Management at the school and college level could add more value and help create an impact on a large scale. During the survey, all students took a pledge that they would eliminate plastic and polythene from their life and become the Green Warriors with Green Pencil Foundation to our make society plastic and polythene free. During the activity, Seva Sadan's College Management also took a pledge to eliminate plastic and polythene from their campus under the initiative "Green Campus' By Green Pencil Foundation.

During the end of the activity, the college management thanked Rakshita Manglania in the form of a commitment to make their college plastic and polythene free. Dr Renuka Shewkani proposed the vote of thanks to Green Pencil Foundation and Rakshita Manglani for taking the initiative towards making schools and colleges plastic and polythene free.