Students were told how biscuit wrappers, plastic bottles of water and cold drinks, chips packets and chocolate wrappers could be recycled, thereby protecting the environment from damage.
Proper waste management plays an important role in environment protection. If the garbage is properly managed, exploitation of natural resources can be prevented. It is imperative that everyone is made aware of waste management. Children are considered to be the best engines of awareness and change in society. School students, in particular, are the catalysts of change. With this in mind, PepsiCo and Hindustan have launched a dry plastic waste management initiative in schools in collaboration with Nepra.
On December 3, 2019, students of Delhi Public School (DPS) in Varanasi were educated about the proper management of dry waste. Apart from DPS, students from Happy Model School, Gopi Radha Public School, St. Al Hanif, BNS Public School, Vidya National Public School, Tomar Children’s School and Sant Atulananda School were present at the launch.
The campaign aims to connect at least 25 schools in Banaras. More schools are also welcome to participate in this initiative.
Students were told how biscuit wrappers, plastic bottles of water and cold drinks, chips packets and chocolate wrappers could be recycled, thereby protecting the environment from damage. Launching the programme, DPS Varanasi principal Mukesh Shelat said society places its hope in the children. The family is the smallest unit of society, and children will play the most important role in creating awareness and change in their families. Merely labelling plastics as a problem is not a solution.
Pankaj Rajgadia, director, DPS Varanasi, appreciated the programme. He encouraged the children to play their role in making this campaign a success and said that small changes in habits can have a huge impact on environment protection. PepsiCo India chief government affairs and communications officer Viraj Chauhan said that the initiative to spread awareness about dry waste management is unique. School students will drive the cause and bring about the necessary changes in regard to this critical social issue.
Nepra CEO Sandeep Patel said that if school students adopt the habit of collecting plastic waste at home and inspiring their friends, they can create a big change. He said that there are Nepra plants for recycling of plastic waste in Ahmedabad and Indore. While multi-layered plastic is not being recycled yet, it is converted into a recycled fuel (RDF), which is used in cement plants.
At the event, PepsiCo India’s Director for Public Policy and Government Affairs Himanshu Priyadarshi said that plastic is not a problem, but an opportunity. It is integral to our daily life. Its proper use and management can save our environment. He appealed to the students to enthusiastically participate in the dry waste management initiative. The programme was attended by PepsiCo senior manager Amit Nanchahal and Priyadarshini Narendra, among others.
Eco clubs to be built in schools
Eco clubs will be built in schools that join this campaign. These schools will have separate special collection bins for collecting the dry waste that students bring from their homes. Nepra will collect and recycle this waste. On behalf of PepsiCo, these member schools will be ranked every month. These rankings will be based on the weight of plastic waste collected in schools every 15 days. This will awaken the spirit of competition among schools.
Furniture from plastic waste
The programme had displays of a bench, stool, and chair manufactured from plastic waste. This led to engaging discussions and interactions between the teachers and the students.
Quiz on plastics
A quiz on plastics had some interesting questions and engaged the school students. The students avidly answered questions about the invention of plastic, its chemical composition, and manufacturing process.
Prasanta Patnaik