Uttarkashi, Taking forward the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of banning single use plastic, a thought he recently reiterated during his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat.’ Uttarkashi District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Chauhan has put on ground an innovative idea of using plastic waste in construction.
The young, dynamic DM has sanctioned the construction of flowerbeds and benches in and around his office, using plastic bottles in sync with the hills in the background. The idea is simple. To understand the concept of plastic waste disposal management in a creative manner and the importance of creating a plastic waste free environment.
Thus far, close to 3500 bottles have been used in making a 2.5 feet by 12 feet flowerbed outside the Disaster Management Office Complex and with another 2600 quintal of plastic bottles, glass, and wrappers waiting to be reused, one can imagine the transformation from waste to beauty.
“This is recycling or upcycling at the very source of where these bottles were found littered. We are trying to reduce carbon footprint by responsible handling of waste and also give people an idea of alternate construction methods using plastic,” adds DM Dr. Ashish Chauhan.
Along with this, the District Magistrate has also restarted the concept of 2016 Swedish ‘Plogging,’ which means jogging and collecting litter together. A simple exercise has turned into a community treasure hunt with officers and residents of Uttarkashi collecting plastic waste while out on a stroll or jog.
The idea has caught the fancy of the young and old, men and women, who can be seen strolling along with bag in hand, collecting plastic litter along the mountain and riverside, encouraging locals and tourists towards better practice of ‘No littering.’
The garbage collected will then be used for similar projects adding value and beauty to the hill district of Uttarakashi, and inspiring like-minded people.
