NEW DELHI: Licypriya Kangujam, the ten-year-old environment and climate activist and has opened the world’s first ‘plastic money shop’ at the Delhi University (DU) with an intention to eliminate single-use plastic waste in India.
The Class V student of Ryan International School, Noida, Licypriya Kangujam who is known for fighting to save the planet and the future has been giving out free school stationery items in return for plastic waste deposited at her shop.
Talking about the initiative which she had on the backburn for the last two years due to the pandemic, Licypriya said, “It is a concept where people can bring any single-use plastic waste from home and can collect rice or school stationery items or a sapling for free from my shop. We accept only single-use plastic waste as money.”
“I want to send a poignant message about our environmental degradation and resilience to the whole world, especially about plastic pollution,” Licypriya told this reporter.
When asked what will she do with the plastic she will collect from people, Licypriya stated, “We send all the collected single-use plastic waste for upcycling to units in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to produce eco-friendly road tiles, house roof sheets, bricks, school benches and desks bricks, etc. purely made from single-use plastic waste. The interesting part is all these products are displayed at my shop.”
Licypriya who is a child prodigy wanted her campaign to evoke the right crowd, hence she decided on setting up shop at the University of Delhi. “I chose DU because if we want to fight climate change, it should start at a place where students, youngsters and academicians thrive together.”