New Delhi: “Any celebration that involves destruction is no celebration at all,” says actor and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) goodwill ambassador Dia Mirza to netizens, urging them to give up the use of Glitter in their life as it is just another form of plastic. The actor recently tweeted the many harms of using glitter in life and said, “Next time we pop the confetti, or want to add some sparkle, let’s remember – GLITTER IS PLASTIC. Watch and share widely and help #BeatPlasticPollution.”
See Dia Mirza’s Post
Any celebration that involves destruction is no celebration at all, is it? Next time we pop the confetti, or want to add some sparkle, let’s remember – GLITTER IS PLASTIC. Watch and share widely! #BeatPlasticPollution pic.twitter.com/4n5Vtxz7sx
— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) January 7, 2019
The Dark Side Of Glitter
To highlight how glitter pollution is taking a toll on our planet, actor Dia Mirza also shared a short video. The video message said,
Glitter plastic is classified as ‘microplastic’, that measure less than five millimeters in length, and are found throughout the world’s oceans, from the surface to the deep sea floor. This form is the worst form of plastics and accounts for 85% of plastic pollution.
It further added how it is being consumed by the marine life who cannot discriminate between particles of food and plastic, “Glitter releases chemicals into the water thereby hurting the marine life as they swallow it. The global release of microplastics in oceans is estimated as 1.5 million tons per year.”
The video ends with a question, “Do you want to still use glitter? Think..”
What Other Countries Have Done?
Because of the damaging effect on the environment, scientists throughout the world are seeking to ban glitter and other microplastics.
The United States has already started a war with on microplastics, they introduced a ban on the production of cosmetics and personal care products that contain microbeads or microplastics as of July, 2018. Canada too joined the bandwagon and banned the use of microbeads last June. The United Kingdom too has taken steps by banning the use of microbeads from June 2018 in order to curtail the use of microplastics.
Also Read: The Crisis Of Microplastics In India Needs To Be Addressed Urgently
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
