Bengaluru

Coming up, a chance for you to clean Bengaluru

Preeja Prasad

BENGALURU: Thousands of people are expected to take to the city streets next month, in a bid to carry out a cleanliness drive. About 10,000 ploggers are likely to participate in a run on Gandhi Jayanthi this year, with a target of clearing 10 tonnes of plastic waste, Ramakrishnan Ganesh, convenor, India Plog Run, said.

Last year, 7,000 runners collected waste in under 12 hours and 33 tonnes of waste was sent for recycling by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The concept, which made its way to the city after volunteers gathered at 54 locations, aimed to create awareness among citizens about responsibly disposing plastic waste. This subsequently led to the entry of Bengaluru Plog Run into the Guinness World Records.
“This year, we aim to attract over 2.5 lakh people across 50 cities. Apart from the metros, India Plog Run will be held in Tier-II and III cities as well, with initiatives such as cleaning of beaches, hill stations and local neighbourhoods being undertaken,” Manish Michael, CEO, United Way India, told CE.

The event, which will be held in 50 cities, including Bengaluru, is the initiation of a long-term environmental campaign. “In the next one year, we will be spreading awareness against single-use plastic in 1 lakh schools across the country. Plogging ambassadors will also be engaged in 100 historical places. The goal of the initiative is to create a movement in the country to engage communities and raise awareness about plastic pollution,” Manish said.

“A positive outcome from last year’s event is that we have seen people plogging almost every weekend. We aim to support plogging communities and the public in general in Bengaluru with similar activities on a continuous basis, till the time we see behavioural change,” Manish added.

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