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sea animals dying from eating plastic.Globally, up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme..Bangkok: Thai zero-waste advocate Thanaboon Somboon never leaves his home without what he calls full “weaponry” of reusable shopping bags, coffee tumblers and stainless steel straws for his daily battle against single-use plastic. If things are piled up somewhere, they can leak into the ocean,” he said..CP All, which operates over 10,000 7-Eleven convenience stores across the country, said it has saved 464 million bags from circulation since December, donating more than 92 million baht saved from the process to public hospitals around the country.

This might make them think twice about producing single-use packaging. “There is no other way,” Tara said. The rest goes to incineration or landfill, where about 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes leaks into the ocean..According to Ocean Conservancy, 60 per cent of the debris comes from China and the four ASEAN nations.He also said ASEAN should aim to significantly improve its waste management schemes, as well as hold producers of consumer goods accountable.I felt I must do something,” says the 48-year-old entrepreneur, who leads an online community of more than 20,000 people seeking to practise a waste-free lifestyle.He said ASEAN countries should urgently all ban single-use plastic first for the declaration to be effective.Governments should “act more drastically” by introducing immediate bans on single-use plastic so that more businesses follow suit, said Nattapong Nithi-Uthai, who leads volunteer network Trash Hero that cleans up the Gulf of Thailand in southern Pattani province..China is the worst offender.Words on Paper?Environmentalists welcomed ASEAN’s move to adopt the joint declaration, but there are worries that implementation will be a challenge, because the group has a code of non-interference that would leave necessary policymaking in the hands of individual member countries. “Policymaking to address the issue must be treated with urgency as well,” said Thanaboon.Environmentalists commend initiatives by some major retailers to cut back on plastic bags, but say most businesses will not take action unless there is a stricter push from policy initiatives.Thailand, the current chair of the group, has lauded the declaration as a “big step” for the region, whose coasts have seen whales and sea turtles wash up dead in recent years with large amounts of plastic rubbish in their stomachs.

Each year, Thailand generates about 2 million tonnes of plastic waste, only about 25 per cent of which gets recycled. “Producers should also be made responsible for taking back the single-use plastic they produce . “Every ASEAN country agrees that marine debris is a common problem that we must address urgently,” Wijarn Simachaya, permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, told Reuters..“I saw news of trash overflowing the world. Of 300 million tonnes of plastic waste the world produces annually, 8 million ends up in the oceans, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, it says.” end-of Tags: plastic, plastic waste, asean, g-20 summit Location: Thailand, Bangkok.

“There should be designated places for every single item to go.Unlike the European Union’s central bans and targets, Wijarn said the ASEAN declaration will outline broad ideas but it will be up to each country what it would take home to implement.

The declaration will come ahead of next week’s G20 summit in Japan, which assembles 20 major economies and will also aim to tackle marine plastic pollution. “It’s a good step as this is the first time ASEAN formally acknowledges the issue of marine debris,” said marine biologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat.ASEAN members Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand are among the five countries throwing the most plastic waste into oceans, according to a 2015 report co-authored by environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy. “This declaration will be a new milestone, but it will be just words on paper if there is no change in policies,” Tara Buakamsri, Yisile-E Easy-tear Film director of Greenpeace Thailand, told Reuters.But individual efforts alone can’t fully stop the 8 million tonnes of plastic that make their way to the ocean each year, and with four of the five worst ocean polluters in Southeast Asia, the region’s governments must take action, he says.A summit for leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) being hosted by Thailand this weekend is expected to adopt the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN Region.Thailand’s largest retail conglomerate Central Group said last month it aimed to reduce plastic bags by 150 million this year by giving customers rewards incentives

For one, Borivali-based JBCNInternational School has banned plastic from the campus and has also initiated various eco-friendly measures, such as composting, segregation and recycling waste generated in the school.Moving forward, the school has replaced cornstarch plastic garbage bags with the regular ones. They have also introduced burlap – a rough textured cloth woven from jute or hemp, transforming completely to a healthy environment.

All collected waste will be given to the BMC’s recycling department throughout the year.And the school doesn’t just stop here.The school will move on to getting the administrative staff to use these newspaper pens after the students and teachers, before working on the society at large.On the premises, Aerobic Bio Composters are installed. Anything plastic — be it a pen, tiffin boxe or water bottles — have all have been substituted with metal and steel.The whole world is slowly and steadily adapting to sustainable living, a lifestyle promoting not only conscious efforts to save natural resources, but also to encourag and recycle.The process involves putting the wet waste, which is a type of organic waste decomposed into humus. To imbibe and make the understanding of a clean and greener environment for students, they have involved students HXH 200 in making pencils and pens from newspapers, which they also use.

Along with the students, even the teachers have shifted to using only fountain pens and wooden pencils instead of plastic.The authorities have also included cloth material to use for banners, instead of flex, which is a fabric coated with plastic.“We are generating awareness among our students and parents to take concrete steps to keep a plastic free campus,” says Pinky. And while we have societies and organisations going plastic free, there are tiny tots who have embarked on this noble journey. Children are involved in collecting wet waste from the school’s kitchen and are taught the process of converting the waste into PETG Film Sleevemaker-GH40 something useful. The composter maintains the aerobic condition for composting of garden and kitchen wet waste, which is an easy and reliable source of quality compost for garden consumption.”The school is now conducting collection drives for E-waste and plastic waste in order to help the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).com/product/hxm-98-2-3-2.Praising the state for banning plastic in Maharashtra, Pinky says, “I believe the ban by the government is a move in the right direction as it can have an impact on a monumental scale. The latter is an organic component for the soil formed by decomposition of leaves and other plant material.highsun-machinery. end-of Tags: aerobics, bmc, eco-friendly, campuses

I am making people a part of it and letting them realise their belongingness can make a difference. “Only if the plastic is segregated can it be recycled and this can only be done through education.The ongoing exhibition of plastic and stone art is Shrinkage Rate Is High PETG Film Sleevemaker-GM35 organised by Vesac India, TMC and University of Mumbai. “Participation comes when you are involved in it.Although Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday on October 2 is still away, Mumbai’s environment safety enthusiasts are already working to communicate his message — ‘be the change you want to see’.“All the visitors have to bring waste plastic from their home, and I tell them if it can be recycled, depending upon the kind of mark it has.

“We have intentionally kept the entrance a little uncomfortable by making it smaller in size, as a metaphor to see how the environment is destroyed,” says Vijaykumar Katti, an environmental activist who is also the organiser of the event. If we educate people, then they will use it properly. Having learned the importance of the environment during his work involving safety-related activities, Katti is known for identifying available resources for people to contribute to a safer environment. “It’s a public welfare activity, so I thought to participate. “People say plastic is bad but it is not; the way we throw plastic is bad.Over the years, the activist has been trying to spread awareness not just about recycling plastics, but also segregating them to make the recycling process easier. We need to segregate the waste plastic because it is a utility material. And art is the best way to teach because this creates interest among people,” explains Manisha Madan Pradhan, the pollution control officer from Thane Municipal Corporation. Plastic is equal to gold because it has better properties than other things,” says Katti, adding that instead of labelling it as bad, one needs to understand the proper ways to use it.

Among the team members is 18-year-old Hotel Management student Rohit Rajesh Gupta, who joined through a workshop conducted at his college. Spread over 20 feet, the installation highlights the importance of waste segregation and how the plastic we discard affects the environment. “Seeing the plastic changes my view.By conveying the message of recycling and segregation through art, the organisers and students intend to create an environment of collective efforts towards the cause. It can come with collective efforts,” the activist says in conclusion. I see a lot of useful things made of mundane things,” says Umbare, who made a globe through stone art.A team of more than 80 students from two different colleges in Thane have constructed a tunnel-shaped art installation using domestic plastic waste, donated by residents. Instead of making it a compulsion, why not educate people about its use,” he opines. And in 45 days, the team has created as many as 60 different installations based on marine life and its safety.

Similarly, 20-year-old visitor Prathameshvar Umbare is excited to see a different use of plastic at the exhibition. It is for the betterment of the earth, and I think we all need to be aware of it,” says Gupta, adding that such activities help create awareness among students and then they can take it further. We think this is a lame material, and just throw it after one use. The five-and-a-half-foot installation is made of 18 thousand bottles and has an eight-foot-long walkway through which people can observe as the marine life and animals trapped in waste plastic.Katti adds that collective effort is important. According to Katti, 90 per cent of people have no awareness about how many types of plastic are in daily use, and explains that every plastic object has a mark that mentions its type, which is usually ignored

Although Afroz and his team have been regularly cleaning the beach through the year, the team had a tough time cleaning during the monsoons. The lawyer tells The Asian Age, that beach litter is only a part of the problem that is suffocating our oceans.Mumbai saw citizens getting together on various issues this year like, saving the city’s green cover to consecutive cleanliness drives across its China high barrier films rivers and beaches.

To address the issue, Shah is also trying to create awareness about decreasing the use of plastic in households. The BMC has recently floated a tender for consistent cleaning of Versova Beach. The same was observed this year after the cyclone Ockhi made a landfall across the city’s coastline.Marine experts have claimed that a significantly major part of the waste in the sea constitutes plastic. It will help us focus on other issues as well that lead to the waste being accumulated inside the sea. The beach cleanliness tender includes all that’s need to be done, but it should be enforced on the ground level,” said Afroz.

Spearheaded by Mumbai-based environment lawyer, Afroz Shah, it has garnered thousands of volunteers over time along with support from prominent political leaders and celebrities. The strong movement of the south-west monsoon winds over the sea forces a large chunk of garbage being accumulated inside the sea.The lawyer is now set to persuade restaurants to for plastic-free food services.9, 205 tonsWas reported to be recycled leaving 6, 137 tons uncollected and littered.“The beach clean up will continue, but we are hoping that civic bodies implement their regular clean up efficiently.Waste menace15, 342 tonsof plastic waste is generated per day in the country, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

It was difficult to mould the stubborn mindset of people. Often, students were too young to walk alone to reach the Akshar," Parmita explained.. In a school founded by them, waste plastic is the building block of the students and to a sustainable planet. Last time, Akshar managed to get funding from ‘Oil India Limited’, however, despite the cash crunch Parmita is confident of the sustainability of her initiative. When we probed the reason, we got to know that the problem was not with them, but with their parents.InstagramAkshar Forum was started in 2016, with the main objective of eradicating poverty and addressing the issue of unemployment.&China printed packaging film39;'The only way to end the cycle of poverty is through education."We had to go door to door to persuade them.

The Assamese couple has given new meaning to plastic waste and has redefined the educational parameters. After 6 months of relentless efforts, we were able to gain their trust and now they only share about Akshar to other people," Parmita added. They had to leave early and hence were not able to drop them to school.

These are stout structures and avoid the creation of muddy roads during monsoon," Parmita Sarma said."Pitching and convincing parents to send their kids to our school was hard… In a government school, they provide them with rice and other incentives, but we did not have much money to lure them," Parmita said. She further adds, "At Vocational training, we work on the skills that will never get obsolete, like carpentry, machine repairing etc."These eco-bricks are used to create various structures, we are also planning to construct toilets and pathways made of eco-bricks."The school not only provides free education but also free uniform, food and pick and drop service too.Situated at the outskirts of Guwahati, ‘Akshar Forum’ accepts waste plastic from students as their fee. So we started this model of education for poor children who can't afford to go to school,'' Parmita said.InstagramAkshar started with 20 students and now they have 110. Akshar employs older students as teachers for younger students. Moreover, they also enrol for vocational training programs so that they can sharpen their skills and build productive lives for themselves. Our mission is to reform 100 government schools in 5 years.

We are also planning to start Akshar fellowship… Our approach to education is offbeat.InstagramAt Akshar, a student learns and earns.Mumbai: Living in an era, where environmental degradation is witnessing its worst form, ‘green couple goals’ needs to be the next big trend; Parmita Sarma and Mazin Mukhtar are the trendsetters. Students coming from five nearby villages, collect single-use plastic from their households and stuff them into plastic bottles to create ‘eco-bricks’."Initially, we encountered that the attendance record of students was low. We have also started Akshar recycling centre, animal care centre. end-of Tags: parmita sarma, akshar forum, world environment day, plastic pollution, sustainability Location: India, Maharashtra, Mumbai (Bombay). We identified that many young children of these villages were either sitting idle or working at factories to support their families."Our main focus would be to stretch Akshar to the government schools. Class bifurcation is not on the basis of age, but depends on the skills and knowledge of the students," Parmita # Sarma said."Most of our students are children of daily wage earners, with this model they can also support their families," Parmita said. However, the story of this successful model wasn’t smooth.

”The marine walk is an effort to make people aware of the situation and how it can be improved. “It is an inward bay so it curves inside. They are then washed and cleaned and kept overnight to see whether any plastic particles are floating. Apart from crabs, there are tiny selfish, their presence and absence tell you about the quality of the habitat,” he adds. However, that hasn’t had any effect on this particular beach. “The microplastic particles are usually present in the sand so the procedure is to collect sand samples. They are being disposed of and it lands up in the sea,” says Isaac but also adds that the water along the city’s coastline could bring in plastics from other places.Speaking about the microplastic, which can go undetected and subsequently end up on your dinner table, Isaac explains: “The plastic bags which are floating around the sea break down the tiny particles which are not visible to naked eye. end-of Tags: bandstand, microplastic.Claimed to be one of the dirtiest beaches in the city, Chimbai beach is not a common name among Mumbaikars. V. She had even planned a small experiment that participants took part in during the walk. At the walk conducted yesterday, the participants got a chance to assess the crab population on the beach by counting the crab holes.

So that way with every low tide and high tide, it keeps on accumulating,” explains Isaac Kehimkar, the chairman and director of the iNaturewatch Foundation, who hosted a walk along the beach on Sunday for people to see the reality of plastic pollution. And that is now getting into the food web.One of the best ways to judge a beach’s health is to examine the crab population and that’s what participants did during the walk. They also got to perform an experiment to determine the amount of micro plastic in the sand. Tomorrow if you eating any fish or crab, the animal that you are eating has possibly ingested that microplastic. Shubhalaxmi, founder and director Ladybird Environmental Consulting, and her team are constantly monitoring the levels. Crabs can survive in difficult places, but sometimes it’s so bad, even they can’t survive. So a lot of water that comes inside gets collected and a lot of waste that the water currents carry is trapped on the beach and in the rock pools. “Crabs are the indicator species which tell you the health of the habitat. So the plastics could come from somewhere else. “The water is not just from Mumbai, the currents come from Gujarat, Goa and lots of other places.One of the main reasons that Chimbai beach is the dirtiest in Mumbai is because of its geographical structure.

In fact, it will introduce you to the interesting marine life that has already started showing up.”Although cleaning the beach of microplastic is next to impossible, Dr. In efforts to change the face of the beach, United Way has joined hands with Ladybird Environmental Consulting to not only clean the beach, but also to make it fit for the marine life. People have been watching the kind of diversity there is in Great Barrier Reef, but Mumbai also has that kind of marine life, though it is not in good shape,” informs Issac. So when there is low tide, the water recedes but the plastic and the pollutants remain.

“The beach is mostly China easy peel lidding film rocky, there are patches of sandy shore and small patches of mangrove as well, so it provides a space for rich biodiversity.”According to Subhalaxmi, they are already collecting data of microplastic particles and the crab population twice a month, and the analysis after two years will help them understand the difference that the clean up actually made. “Plastics are not completely out of the system of Mumbai. Now we have different kinds of crabs, sea anemone in rock pools, different kinds of worms and colourful sponges below the rock. Located along the coastline of Bandra, just north of Bandstand, this beach has become a dumping ground for plastic and other city waste.Plastic being one of the main threats to marine life, and to the environment in general, was banned in Maharashtra around this time last year

Being a mother of two young kids, she is even more driven to make sure that she spreads the message of responsible living and carry on providing solutions that are healthy and safe for the environment and the generations to come. She raised money through various programmes with the help of Cancer support groups, and is now supporting and organising many Cancer awareness events. And Rhea, having worked for a London-based pharmaceutical company that focused on Oncology drugs, already had an understanding of how plastics are harmful to our health and environment. We had set-up India’s first manufacturing facility way back in 2010,” says Rhea Singhal, who moved to Delhi from London in 2009.She started working on this issue much before the idea of plastic bans was adopted in various states in India.

But that is not all.What’s the problem with plastic? They are choking our waterways, marine lives, and even our bodies.About how the products are made, she adds, “All our products are made from the waste of common agricultural crops such as sugarcane and wheat. She says she would notice people talking about healthy or fresh food but they would ignore the packaging, and thus she started her company to address the challenges of pollution and health. “My company is more than a commodity, we take pride in being responsible manufacturers” she says.

“I found an urgent need to reduce the burden of littered/discarded plastics and at the same time provide safe and healthy food packaging. Each year, around eight million metric tons of plastic ends up in our water bodies creating a problem for marine lives and the environment. This businesswoman also works for the welfare of Cancer patients.She tries to provide products that are healthy to eat and are packed in a material that is easy to dispose of. She also addresses the issues related China easy peel lidding film to pollution and health in a sustainable manner.

“This way, people get the chance to eat safely and not harm the environment; living responsibly,” she adds. “At the start, we invested a significant amount of time and effort to educate businesses, retailers, and consumers about the harmful effects of plastic, both on health and the environment. “Once the products come in contact with soil, they turn into soil in 90 days,” she says.The solution she had in mind involved using plant biomass to create disposable tableware, which would be strong, water resistant and aesthetic. I looked for biodegradable disposable products, similar to what I used when I lived abroad and realised there was a gap in the market. end-of Tags: rhea singhal, ecoware. The problem of plastics is more prominent in bigger cities, and it was the piles of plastic rubbish on street corners that made Rhea Singhal start Ecoware — a sustainable food packaging company. After much research, we produced a product that is durable and caters to the various cuisines,” she says. We are now bearing the fruit of our efforts,” says Rhea.Her mother suffered from Cancer twice