New Delhi: Last week on May 23, Ex-IT Minister Milind Deora initiated #QuitPlasticMovement to beat plastic pollution. He posted a video message on twitter urging people to start a battle against single use plastic by refusing products like plastic bags, straws, spoons, cups, and many more. What started as an individual effort has now transitioned into a mass movement. People from all walks of life are joining the #QuitPlasticMovement and sharing their stories on social media with former politician Milind Deora.
Twitteratis Come Forward In Support Of #QuitPlasticMovement
The first one to join the movement and share his story of change was writer Chetan Bhagat. He posted a video of him on twitter and said,
I almost never leave the house without a bagpack. That really helps because you know, if I am buying groceries or anything, I don’t have to take a plastic bag. I just put it in my bag and it automatically saves plastic. Other thing, I try to get out of the house with a water bottle that you know always help because you can refill the water bottle and obviously you don’t have to buy those plastic water bottles to just have a single serving of water.
He signed off by saying,
It is really not that difficult if you put your mind to it and if each one of us tries, we can save so much plastic and make the world a better place.
#QuitPlasticMovement is a great initiative @milinddeora! Here are my two simple tips to limit use of plastic, which I actually follow in my life. #QuitPlasticMovement pic.twitter.com/JGwYl3MJV0
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) May 27, 2018
Organisations like DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund, Mr. Butler’s also joined the bandwagon. While DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund has replaced all plastic water bottles with glass bottles, across all offices, Mr. Butler’s offers soda maker which can be used to make drinks at home. So, no more soda in plastic bottles.
We're glad to be part of the #QuitPlasticMovement
At @dspbrmf we took the initiative a while ago to replace all plastic mineral water bottles across all our offices with filtered water in glass bottles, without exception! A small step today, for a better tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/HSbFV6Drp9— DSP Mutual Fund (@dspmf) May 28, 2018
Individuals too shared their story of change and how they are either refusing plastic products or reusing existing plastic bottles, spoons and other products. Have a look at some of them-
Gone are the days when plastic bottles were used only for storing liquid. Now they are being used as planters
#SingleUsePlastics #QuitPlasticMovement @milinddeora regrowing microgreens and plants in plastics,using fork,straw in craft.. pic.twitter.com/2Q0deSWALM
— sampada (@shuklasampada1) May 25, 2018
Little DIY goes a long way. Bid adieu to plastic soap and facewash bottles as you produce soap at home
@milinddeora #QuitPlasticMovement ..was quite concern about the plastic pollution caused by liquid body soap bottles amd facewash..Learned the art of making soap today..will be avoiding wrapping in plastic..if not interested in learning soap making, we can buy hand crafted soaps pic.twitter.com/lnx1XgRNba
— sampada (@shuklasampada1) May 27, 2018
Thanks Vedant Bhardwaj for sharing this video on my @facebook page. Kids, DO NOT try this at home ???????? #QuitPlasticMovement pic.twitter.com/MpLC3fadc2
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा ☮️ (@milinddeora) May 29, 2018
Choose milk in returnable glass bottles Many areas have local dairies that provide milk in returnable glass bottles rather than plastic or plastic-coated cardboard(yes,all cardboard milk containers are coated inside and out with plastic,not wax) @milinddeora#QuitPlasticMovement
— ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???? ???? (@javeedrathod) May 24, 2018
Give Up plastic Bottled water , get a resuable stainless steel Bottle where ever u go carry with us, it's saves life's and Money too, cause we pay to buy such plastic water bottles @milinddeora #QuitPlasticMovement
— ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???? ???? (@javeedrathod) May 24, 2018
Say no to plastic #QuitPlasticMovement @milinddeora pic.twitter.com/7HtOtb3309
— neha (@nehagaur8) May 27, 2018
Watch Milind Deora’s Message
75 years after Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, let’s join together to issue a clarion call against plastic. It’s high time we eliminated single use plastic from our everyday lives! Please join #QuitPlasticMovement pic.twitter.com/M7qW3rzn66
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा ☮️ (@milinddeora) May 24, 2018
shailendra kumar
May 31, 2018 at 5:45 pm
lazy and inefficient cleaning employees with permanent govt jobs, ignorant corporations, public reps who do not bother to design efficient garbage collection system, useless travels abroad in the name of study tours at public cost, corruption and a silly system of encouraging and protecting hawkers everywhere is what chokes the city with garbage and not merely plastic.Before giving license to anyone to do business, the first thing that should be asked is how much garbage is he likely to generate and what will be his plan of action for disposal of garbage. Shopkeeper/hotels/hawker/businesses/offices every establishment must include his garbage disposal plan in his application for license and that he is following it needs to be checked. Plastic forms only 3 to 5% of the total garbage, it is the indiscreet disposal by all that chokes the drains, rivers,roads, and every public place. Next is unbridled commercial use by all businesses where profits are being earned from packaging material rather than the product or commodity. Businesses must be pressurised and incentivised (on the same lines like incentive for saving of elctricity) to reduce usage of plastic. Just one example, why is water sold in very small bottles and pouches? What is the actual cost of the water and what is the proportion of the cost of plastic packaging in the total product price? Let’s find out. Why can’t the water companies install their water ATM’s? Some collectors have installed water ATM’s in remote towns and they are functioning very well. Why just 35 grams of chips is sold for rs 20/- with plastic packaging. Since the time supreme court ordered that carry bags be sold ; how much money in last few years have been made by these malls and shopkeepers by selling the carry bags at 500% profit and why they were not charged with responsibility to take back and recycle these instead of they forcing customers to buy carry bagss and making selling of carrybags more lucrative then selling their wares. What is needed is prevention of disposal in environment and reduction in usage at source. A deep and deliberate study is needed to use plastic sensibly, and not a knee jerk reaction to ban it to sound fashionable. That’s all.