KOCHI: The recent flood that washed ashore tonnes of plastic waste from the depths of the river beds brought to light, literally, the extent of environmental destruction and the contribution of plastic in it.
‘I Challenge Plastic Bottle’ challenge is set to create ripples in colleges and schools across the state and help remove a lion’s share of plastic from the state. The project aims to collect tonnes of plastic by October 2, Gandhi Jayanti and get an amount of Rs 1 crore which can be used for post-flood rebuilding purposes.
The brainchild of Father Davis Chirammel, the project under the banner of Kidney Federation of India had begun on August 15 at first in two panchayats, Perumbadappu and Veliyankode. The flood had put an immediate stop to it. Now, the challenge will be kickstarted with a renewed vigour and the backdrop of flood gives it a stronger purpose.
“Hearing about the challenge, many people called up offering their support and wanting to be part of the drive. It includes doctors and police officers. However, we primarily focus on children as it is more convenient for them to bring at least three beaten plastic bottles to school every day,” said Fr Chirammel.
“Plastic bottle is only a small element. It is said that in one second, 1 crore plastic bottles are bought across the globe. In many countries, they have facilities to dispose of the plastic safely and are even used to make many products.
However, even with all these facilities now available in the state, we have not learned to utilize them properly. This would be as good a wake-up call,” added Fr Chirammel.At least 2 tonnes of plastic is expected from each centre that will volunteer for the challenge.
If a student brings three bottles every day for 20 days in a school with 2,000 kids, the amount of plastic collected would be 4 tonnes which will cost Rs 1 lakh. The plastic waste, once segregated, crushed and processed, can be used in road construction, pipes, doormat and is even used to make clothes in China.