Waste Force – Stop burning plastic

Project Waste Force is a self initiated campaign by RUCHI with assistance from our visiting volunteers and interns. The major aim of this campaign is to: 1) Stop burning of plastic which is a regular practice in rural INDIA, due to unavailability of any alternative. 2) Educating children on importance of segregation & correct waste disposal depending upon the type (plastic, bottle, battery, bio degradable etc). 3) Creating work shops on Reduce-Reuse-Recycle of waste.

Challenge

India is facing negative criticism internationally as majority of our rivers, streams & landscapes are getting choked with garbage. The public system's inability to deal with present situation is putting community health on stake specially in villages where people practice burning waste (FMCG wrappers & plastic) due to unavailability of alternative solution. Majority of city garbage is collected & it ends at a landfill site whereas in villages it is burnt, dumped on road or near a stream.

Solution

Waste Force project is focusing on educating kids about importance of waste segregation & increasing their knowledge on its proper disposal so they can apply it at home , practice active citizenship and get rewarded for it. A monthly neighbourhood cleanliness action will accompany our educational drive at 10 schools providing kids with experiential learning about waste. All collected waste will be taken to our identified recycling agents for further segregation & proper disposal monthly.

Long-Term Impact

Waste segregation at source and recycling it at the local level for productive purpose can become a good social entrepreneurship in near future. With workshops we aim to impart skills to kids about various methods to further reuse and recycle generated waste at a micro level. This along with health, sanitation and environmental education is aimed to lead to sustainable development.