Do you know about   Skrap organisation  ? Or about Paperman and Saahas Zero Waste? 

Do you know about Ryan Mario Yasin ?

Or about Joanna Sandler or about  Aweko Faith or Andrew Mupuya ?

I will assume that your answer is no .

Because we are busy being Fantastic that we forget to avoid using Plastic .

But these organisations and people don’t .

Skrap

Mumbai-based Skrap environment sustainability management organization.   They analyse waste generation data based on the type and size of event, devise a customised plan and implement it on the premises . They provide an end-to-end process of waste management at events and offices.

Paperman

Paperman was established in 2010 with the objective to accelerate recycling in India, Paperman launched a mobile app offering on-demand doorstep recycling, which people could use to directly connect with local ragmen to sell their waste. Along with this, the organisation’s initiatives also include public awareness programmes.

Saahas Zero Waste

Saahas Zero Waste is  a Bengaluru-based NGO established in 2001 , they specialise in handling bulk waste produced by MNCs, residential communities, universities, tech parks and other organisations and using sustainable management to recycle the waste .

Ryan Mario Yasin , developed Children’s wear made out of recycled plastic bottles that can grow 7x their size .

Joanne Sandler genetically engineered bacteria that could turn plastic bottles into a valuable ingredient i.e vanilla .

Aweko Faith, along with her two friends , developed a durable and waterproof bag from plastic waste they collect .

Andrew Mupuya ,a 16 year old who handcrafted 20,000 eco-friendly  bags in a week to eradicate plastic use .

We are too ignorant towards our environment because it’s always just “one bag of plastic ” by “8 million people “.

It is foreseeable that plastic pollution has become one of the world’s most tremendous  environmental crises. The increasing production rate of plastic has surpassed the world’s ability to recycle ,hence  making  plastics take over our lands and water bodies.

This pollution is  extremely dangerous which can have a catastrophic influence on biodiversity. 

 Plastic particles in the ocean attract toxins, which in turn affects us, as the toxins enter the food chain making our water bodies have plastics swimming in them leading to  millions of deaths of animals  from ingestion of plastic every year.

I assume you already know the harmful effects of plastic . But do you know how to say ”  No to Plastics ” ?

“ We humans have become dependent on plastic for a range of uses, from packaging to products. Reducing our use of plastic bags is an easy place to start getting our addiction under control.” 

– David Suzuki

3 July , International Plastic Bag Free Day 

International Plastic Bag Free Day is observed all around the world on 3 July  every year. 

This day  emphasizes the plastic bag-free world and spreads awareness about the devastating effects of plastics on the environment. 

International Plastic Bag Free Day was created by Bag Free World. It was created as a worldwide initiative for the purpose of getting rid of the single-use of plastic bags around the world. 

On this day many organizations and thousands of responsible citizens  work together to raise awareness on the impact of plastic bags and encourage the use of other eco-friendly bags. 

One must promote  environmental conservation by encouraging  all to stay away from the use of plastic bags and use  eco-friendly alternatives.

Ways to celebrate this day :- 

” It’s when plastic takes on a life of its own that the food chain will be disrupted.”

…. –  Anthony T. Hincks

There are many steps one  can take to honor this important date :-

• By volunteering the primary three ways Plastic Waste Management i.e :-

•Reduce

•Reuse

•Recycle .

•  Volunteering by giving our  money or  time to an environmental organization or charity that is focused on cleaning landmasses and water of plastic bags. 

Groups  such as Greenpeace, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Clean Ocean Project etc .

• By  making and selling eco-friendly handbags and  shopping bags .

“ I think, on a personal level, everybody, when you go through the checkout line after you get your groceries and they say, ‘Paper or plastic?’ We should be saying, ‘Neither one.’ We should have our own cloth bags. “

– Woody Harrelson

•  By organizing or taking part in raising awareness to stop the usage of single-use plastic bags. 

• By  conducting a workshop based on using reusable plastic bags. 

• By volunteering to clean up some mess of plastic bags on streets and in the ocean.

• By Adopting  the habit of using reusable bags.

• By using  social media  and spreading awareness , sharing information and  and #PlasticBagFreeDay slogan .

• By  supporting and out- spreading  the alternatives for single-use plastic bags such as recyclable bags, cloth bags, canvas bags, and a lot more, which may help in saving the environment and animals.

It is in the hands of each and everyone in  the world to make a plastic bag-free society possible. 

Effects Of Plastics:- 

To make a plastic bag-free world, it is essential to teach the public about the harmful  effects of throwing plastic into the environment. 

Plastic pollution leads to  extremely detrimental effects on the environment, wildlife and indeed human health.

“BPA is just one chemical used to make plastic baby bottles and in the lining of food, beverage, and infant formula containers. Research shows that children are exposed to BPA by drinking from polycarbonate bottles and consuming food from containers made using BPA.”

– Suzy Shuster

The marine ecosystem is  suffering immensely as a result of plastic pollution.  Over 250 species have become entangled in plastic , leading to suffocation and death.

Littering of plastics in open spaces creates unhygienic conditions. Plastics do not undergo degradation, thus, stay in the soil for many years, which affects soil fertility and degrades the soil quality.

The improperly disposed of plastic bags , when eaten by animals, cause harmful diseases   leading to  death.

When plastic artifacts enter the drainage and sewerage system, they block the pipes and the drains causing waterlogging.

3 July , International Plastic Bag Free Day , is a global initiative to eradicate or reduce the use of these dangerous plastics and to make people aware of its harmful effects. We must foresee the future dangers that will soon affect our ecosystems and  our vision of  sustainable development.

This day is just like any other day where one  can voice their opinion and use it to save the  environment from a global  man made catastrophe i.e plastic pollution.