We bring here a synopsis of the International Coastal Cleanup, a yearly effort to clean up the coastlines of the world and improve ocean health. Each year on the third Saturday in September (in 2011, it’s on 17th September), several hundreds of thousands of volunteers clean up litter from lakes, rivers, and beaches around the world.

We also cover the efforts being taken for International Coastal Cleanup in Singapore. Your participation with friends, family and colleagues would make a big difference in cleaning up coastlines and also generating awareness about how our consumption habits are linked to ocean trash, and the effects it has on marine life.

The International Coastal Cleanup is a yearly campaign by The Ocean Conservancy, a Washington D.C, US based non-profit organisation. The Ocean Conservancy was founded in 1972, with goals to promote healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems, and to oppose practices that threaten oceanic and human life.

OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup has become the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health. Nearly nine million volunteers from 152 countries and locations have cleaned 145 million pounds of trash from the shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean on just one day each year.

Along with the cleanup, every item found is weighed, counted and recorded, and cumulative data from the countries are compiled, giving a clear picture of the kind of items that affect humans, wildlife and economies.

The Ocean Conservancy’s 2011 report, ” Tracking Trash: 25 Years of Action for the Ocean” summarises what the data collected over 25 years shows and how it has inspired action.

The information collected is quite telling:

• During the 25th annual Cleanup in 2010, over six hundred thousand (615,407) people removed more than eight million (8,698,572) pounds of trash.
• In 2010, volunteers collected enough tires to outfit almost fifty-five hundred (5,464) cars.
• In 2010 the amount of cigarettes/cigarette butts collected is equal to nearly ninety-five thousand (94,626) packs of cigarettes.
• The eight million pounds of trash collected during the 2010 Cleanup would cover about 170 football fields.

Highlighted Results from the Past 25 Years of Cleanups

• Fifty-three million cigarettes/cigarette filters that have been found would fill 100 Olympic-size swimming pools.
• Appliances collected over 25 years of Cleanups (117,356) would fill 32,600 dump trucks.
• Over 863 thousand (863,135) diapers would be enough to put one on every child born in the UK last year.
• Over the past 25 years, more than eight and a half million (8,763,377) volunteers have removed one hundred and forty-five million (144,606,491)pounds of trash in 152 countries and locations.
• Volunteers have collected enough cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons over 25 years to host a picnic for 2 million people.

(Summary from ICCS)

TAKE ACTION: Action begins with each of us. Join schools and organisations within your country or city participating in The International Coastal Cleanup, or Plan your own International Coastal Cleanup Event.

Here are 10 things you can do to stop marine debris recommended by The Ocean Conservancy.

 The International Coastal Cleanup in Singapore (ICCS) 2011

If you’re in Singapore on 17th September 2011,  do join the International Coastal Cleanup here as an independent volunteer. Bring your family, friends and colleagues along too.

Interestingly, today Vincent Kang had posted a comment in Today Online about the sudden surge in trash found in the East Coast.  So your helping hands will be much appreciated!

If you’ve missed the briefing conducted on August 27th by N. Sivasothi, National Co-ordinator, International Coastal Cleanup Singapore 2011, here’s a full recording of the session where he gives an excellent overview of marine life in Singapore, the experiences from past cleanup events, and tons of housekeeping tips on what to do on September 17th, as regards to safety tips and data collection and recording.

Ria Tan summarises the efforts of ICCS well in today’s Wildshores post.

ICCS is NOT just about picking up litter. It is about educating people and collecting data about the litter on our shores. Like Vincent Kang asked in his letter above, ICCS helps answer the question: where does the litter come from?

Marine Debris at Changi - Photo: Wild Singapore

ICCS involves thousands of people. It is the single most important event in the year to raise awareness about marine litter. All the shores are targeted. From mangroves to recreational beaches. Remote shore to accessible shores.

Trash on our shores costs us money. More than $1million to be precise. And that’s just on the recreational shores. A report for the 21 APEC economies reveals a conservative estimate of damage caused by marine litter to be US$1.265 billion. This is just the cost to fishing and boat industries. This does NOT include costs to wildlife, loss of tourism and lost capital development opportunities, like building a hotel or resort. It also does NOT include the clean-up bill.

Marine debris KILLS! In Jun 2011, a dead sea turtle was found to have swallowed 317 plastic pieces in Australia. Even something as seemingly innocent as balloons, often released in masses during celebratory events, can kill. More about how balloons and soft plastic kill sea turtles slowly and painfully.

You CAN make a difference. Individual sign up is open for 17 Sep 2011 (Sat) 8am – 12pm. More details on the ICCS website with online registration.  You can also sign up with the ICCS mailing list or subscribe to theICCS blog or twitter for updates.

Further links you may be interested in:

TED Talks:

1. Capt. Charles Moore on the seas of plastic

2. Sylvia Earle’s TED Prize wish to protect our oceans

3. Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats

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Shores of Kanyakumari District

In a previous blog, we had featured Madavi Nathan Oliver’s observations on the Plastics Free Kanyakumari (PFKK) campaign in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. The campaign spearheaded by the District Collector (DC), Rajendra Ratnoo includes banning of single use plastic bags, and is progressing towards a Zero Waste Kanyakumari through a responsible handling of solid household waste as a next step. The DC is an office comparable to the Mayor of a city or a group of towns/villages.

When DC Rajendra Ratnoo invited me to participate in the campaign during my recent trip to India, I was more than keen to see this with my own eyes and contribute in any way possible. Though many parts of India such as Ooty, Sikkim, Mysore, Dharmasala, Mumbai and Delhi have a ban on the handing out of single use plastic bags, litter on the streets and solid waste management continue to be major issues in India. A ban on single use plastic bags is only the first step. Behaviour change can only be brought about by a well thought out waste management strategy and crucially in its implementation.

A VISIBLY NEATER DISTRICT

Kanyakumari is about a twelve hour train ride away from Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu. One of the most glaring sights from compartments as trains meander in and out of railway stations in India, is the plastic litter heaped up in towns. Even bushes and grasses in the otherwise picturesque countryside can’t seem to escape from the ubiquitous plastic.

Nagercoil (the district headquarters of Kanyakumari) was a pleasant surprise with neatly swept platforms and the near absence of litter. But for the odd plastic or paper cup on the tracks, the cleanliness was indeed a stark contrast to the rest of the train journey. As we inched forward towards the last stop of Kanyakumari (the southernmost town of India which shares the same name as the district), I was literally counting the odd litter lying around. Clearly the stoppage of plastic bags had made a difference.

Traversing through many parts of Kanyakumari over the next couple of days however, one can’t say that the district is entirely litter free. I found a lot of it in the form of paper cups and random paper and plastic waste along the busier commercial streets of Nagercoil, but the quantum of visible waste on the streets was considerably less compared to many parts of Chennai and its outskirts with similar populations, where there is no ban on plastic bags or any waste management campaign in place. The beautiful countryside beyond the towns of Kanyakumari district was much cleaner. It was an utter delight to travel through the pastoral landscape carved by lush paddy fields, banana plantations and palm and coconut groves.

ENFORCEMENT

It is against the law in the district to use any single use or throw-away plastic items like carry bags and cups.  Anyone found carrying a plastic bag can be slapped a fine of Rs 100 by the authorities.  Shops that provided or sold plastic bags or disposable plastic cups can be made to pay higher fines, have their materials seized and even be shut down for non-compliance.

Shops at Kanyakumari town wrap things in old newspaper and jute string

I tested a few shopkeepers in Kanyakumari town. “Who wants to pay Rs 5000 as fine?” said one near the famous Kanyakumari Amman temple which is built close to the spot where the three great seas merge – the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.  I bought a shirt from another shop and it was promptly packed in newspaper and jute string. Likewise, a statue carved on a coconut shell which I picked up in the town. Enforcement was certainly showing positive effects. As for measurable results, the DC told me that the production of single use plastic bags in the district had come down to near zero.

Will litter on the streets reduce with enforcement?

 
As of September 1, 2010, the fines are going to be stricter. Anyone found littering will be fined Rs 100 for the first offence, Rs 1000 for the second and Rs 10,000 for the third time. Subsequent offences are liable for prosecution and imprisonment. With this it is hoped that the visible litter on the streets will considerably reduce too.

EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT AND ENERGISING

Enforcement though critical, cannot by itself ensure the success of a behaviour change program. It requires strong leadership, clear objectives, sustained education and training of local leaders and the masses to make a big difference.

After spending several hours with the DC, accompanying him to meetings and talking to him, I could definitely perceive sincerity, focus and passion towards the cause of achieving zero waste – the kind of energy that one normally doesn’t associate with Indian bureaucracy.

Kanyakumari consists of 1,057 rural habitations, 56 Town Panchayats or Councils and 4 municipalities. The DC has scheduled regular awareness building and training programmes with local leaders on an ongoing basis.

DC Rajendra Ratnoo at Erachakulam

I had the opportunity to take part in two such meetings. One was with women leaders at Thovalai Taluk and the other at Erachakulam with town and village Panchayat or council leaders. At both meetings, the DC thanked the participants for the success of the plastic bag free program so far, and asked for continued support. The meetings served as an introduction to solid waste management which will be the next major leg of the campaign. I talked about simple methods for composting of kitchen waste and Kowsalya Devi, a key resource volunteer with the PFKK team spoke about separation of hazardous waste, such as paints, batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs, medicines, cosmetics and pesticides which tend to contaminate water and soils.

Each meeting ended with the DC asking the participants to visualize a clean and green Kanyakumari followed by affirmations for being a responsible and conscious citizen of the district, by avowing to abstain from plastic bag usage and committing to segregrating household waste.

Ongoing grassroot level training will continue at regular intervals to ensure that this reaches every single household. The next leg of the campaign involves educating trainers – one each for about 200 households and master trainers to train the trainers.

A clearly written guide or pamphlet will be circulated to each household in the district on how to segregate waste into Makkum Kuppai (degradable waste such as vegetable and fruit waste, cooked food, paper, eggshells, coffee and tea grinds) and Makkadha Kuppai( non-degradable waste such as plastics, metals, e-waste, glass, and hazardous waste). Households will be trained to compost the degradable waste. Maximum efforts will be made to recycle the non-degradable waste collected from households. Only the remainder will be sent to the landfill or the incinerator. Proper waste manangement will have a long term positive impact on the soil and water of the region.

GARNERNING VISIBILITY AND RESOURCES

The campaign has a very visible face. It is very easy to spot the various placards throughout the district, particularly in Kanyakumari town, exhorting the public to say, “No to Plastic.” The campaign is attracting media attention from regional and national dailies like “The Hindu” and Kumudam, a popular Tamil magazine among others. Overseas websites such as Lokvani.com and ours are featuring the ongoing campaign.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam , the former President of India visited Nagercoil recently and he acknowledged the PFKK campaign in his speech at a local school.

This is the first time a sustained and comprehensive campaign for a waste management program in India is using multiple platforms – radio, television, newspapers and social media. In particular, social media such as the Facebook Fan Page, “Plastic Free Kanyakumari” (PFKK) has been an excellent way to build up the knowledge base for the campaign, as well as to connect volunteers.
 

PFKK logo

Why is visibility important?

 PLASTICS FREE TO ZERO WASTE KANYAKUMARI – Opportunites and Challenges 

Training for recycling paper

The district wide encouragement of composting will create a demand for composting pots from terracotta or earthenware, an eco-friendly and biodegradable container for the purpose. Economic opportunities will arise for self-help groups who choose to collect compost from households to consolidate and market the compost.

Opportunities for creating a new recycled paper industry can be explored for papers such as newspapers invoices, used school notebooks and diaries, used calendars, which are not otherwise used for packaging. New crafts from papier mache using recycled paper has the potential to create new jobs.

Some of the challenges observed are outlined here. Efforts are being made to address them:

* Non-recyclable and non-degradable waste continue to be partially landfilled and partially incinerated. The DC acknowledges this is not the ideal solution but it is a necessary transition phase. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has approved co-incineration in Cement Kilns at more than 1,400 degree Celsius to get rid of toxins

*  The details of waste segregation have yet to be ironed out – to find an economical way to help waste collectors pick up households’ segregated waste. One option is through self help groups or waste collectors who pay households for the recylable waste, and ensure the wet waste reaches a more centralised biogas unit.

*  The alternatives to plastic entail continuous monitoring and feedback. Some shops are working around the system by giving thin polypropylene bags that look similar to the old carry bags. Even though they are not “plastic,” these bags are petroleum based, and are not designed for multiple number of uses, and may tear after one or two usages. Going forward a minimum thickness should be specified for polypropylene bags, so they may be used for several times, before sent for recycling

* Paper cups are seen as alternatives, but as the DC pointed out, there is a thin non-separable waterproof plastic coating, making the cups non-biodegradable. Also single use cups tend to be thrown away and littered outside shops, so behaviour change in terms of littering is important, and this may come about with the new regulations against littering

Perhaps the most important challenge is the institutionalisation of this campaign which the DC himself is working hard at accomplishing. DCs cannot continue in their roles perpetually in any district and will have to move on to new roles. The momentum that has been created has to be sustained for the coming years if the vision of Zero Waste Kanyakumari is to be achieved.  This is critical for the district and if it has to serve as a role model for the rest of the nation.

FUTURE STEPS:

The campaign has been moving quickly focussing on one key step at a time – first the ban of single use plastic and next the segregation of household waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable matter. If the entire waste cycle is to be closed, the campaign will one day have to encompass all kinds of upstream industry and commercial wastes in addition to household waste.

The campaign is currently supporting the spread of organic farming as well and this is an area where a lot of future attention will be directed. I attended a meeting with the Organic Farmers Association and Vermicomposting Association in Nagercoil, where it was useful to listen to the feedback given by the farmers about the methods they use and challenges they face. The DC has pencilled in regular interaction with them – something that will give them a sense of being listened to, and offer them a forum to find solutions to their various problems.

In this context, I also had the opportunity to visit the Nagercoil branch of the Vivekananda Kendra, a non-profit organisation which among other activities, has been doing several decades of research on organic farming and renewable energies in a local context. NARDEP, Vivekananda Kendra’s arm involved in sustainable development have been training farmers all over the country on organic farming techniques. It was very heartening to see a movement towards relearning and rediscovering ancient and inherited knowledge of the lands, while incorporating new, sustainable technologies.
 

CONCLUSION:

Local leaders being trained in Zero Waste Management

What is commendable is that a remote district of Southern India has been able to accomplish far more than the bigger metropolitan cities of the country in terms of taking concrete action on waste management. If I had to talk of one impressionable moment from the visit, it was when a local panchayat (council) leader came up to me and Kowsalya Devi after the meeting. With great enthusiasm, he invited us to come to his village to teach his people how to manage their waste.  There is much eagerness to learn, and local leadership to be nurtured.

Effective leadership is critical for any behaviour change program – we are seeing the positive effects of this already.  If this permeates to create and unite leaders throughout the district at all levels, the common objective of a cleaner and greener Kanyakumari has the potential of being realised speedily – for the wellbeing of the population and for future generations.

EWTT: Kanyakumari: The Plastic Bag Free District in India

Photo courtesy:  The beautiful photos of Kanyakumari’s landscapes have been taken by Ramesh Amala Srinivasan.

The paddy fields of Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is a rustic and beautiful place, with a variety of magnificient landscapes - rolling mountains, verdant plains and serene beaches. At the southern tip of the Western Ghats range  - one of the two major biological hotspots in India other than the Himalayas, it is also a place of historical interest.

I have been fortunate to visit areas of immense natural beauty that have simply taken my breath away. May this wonderful district remain pristine and clean for all.

Many thanks to all those who made this trip really memorable and friends I’ve connected with. My personal wishes for a successful campaign:

DC Rajendra Ratnoo, Kowsalya Devi, Samson Edwards (and his intrepid 5 year old, Smith), Kumar Mullakkal, Suhithar Baus, Madavi Nathan Oliver, Gaugarin Oliver, Swaroop Thampy, Ramesh Amala Srinivasan, Joe Winston, Timothy Charles, Dr. Devaprasath Jeyasekharan, Parveen Mathew, Mr. Jeyaperimbakumar, Muthukumar Isha, Kumaran Appuchami and Mr. Kirupananda Rajan (And sincere apologies if I’ve missed out anyone)

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Madavi Nathan Oliver, a resident of Nagercoil, the district headquarters of Kanyakumari in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, shares her discoveries.

BIG CHANGE CAN START SMALL

Vendor wrapping fruit with Lotus leaf and newspaper

It is more than a year since I came from the US for my sabbatical in India. It is mango season now and I stop at the fruit vendor on KP road. I buy a kilo of mangoes, a dozen oranges and half a kilo of green grapes. The vendor weighs the fruits, packs it and hands it to me. I am pleasantly surprised. It is nicely packed as usual, but the surprise is that it’s packed the “green way” – in used newspaper with a channall (thin coir thread) holding it together. Last year this time when I bought fruits from the same vendor he packed each fruit type in a plastic bag and then put all 3 plastic bags in another big plastic bag! What a difference – and no inconvenience at all. It occurred to me that this is even better than the, “Would you like to pack it in plastic or paper, ma’m?” option they give at grocery stores in USA.

I became very curious and came to know that the change is all courtesy of the “Quit Plastics – Save the Earth” campaign led by the local district collector, with support from elected leaders and the administration in Kanyakumari District.  The background of this successful program is an inspiring story and a case study on how to effect change.

First, a bit about the place – Kanyakumari District is the smallest district in Tamil Nadu, India and Nagercoil where I have been living for the past year, is the district headquarters.  Located at the southernmost tip of peninsular India, it is a beautiful beach destination and lies at the confluence of three water bodies – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.  

Referred to by the British as Cape Comorin, Kanyakumari has been named after the Goddess Kanyakumari Amman.  It was part of the state of Travancore for a long time before it merged with Tamil Nadu.  A visitor to Kanyakumari has many interesting places to choose from – temples, beaches and historic sites.  Unfortunately, this beautiful location is also victim to plastic and other pollutants. 

Rajendra Ratnoo (far right)

Eager to find out more about how they succeeded in stopping the use of plastic bags, I met with the man behind the movement, Rajendra Ratnoo, the District Collector of Kanyakumari district – a senior civil servant from the Indian Administrative Service(IAS). After all, it’s no easy task to change this practice of using plastic bags we have carelessly gotten ourselves into.  I also interviewed multiple shop owners and ordinary citizens.

 The official ban and enforcement on using plastic bags and cups went into effect on April 1st 2010 after several months of the popular “quit plastics” campaign planning.  In my opinion, the key words for success here are:  Educate, Empower, Energize and Enforce. 

Training the women at Swamithoppu village

EDUCATE: The campaigners didn’t just say, “Quit Plastics.” Think for a moment. If you are unaware that there is a problem then you wouldn’t think of fixing it. The campaign first aimed at making the public conscious of the ill effects of using non-degradable plastic products. They focused on plastic bags and cups. They trained people on how to quit the habit. They held numerous public seminars, provided tips (for example, always keep a carry bag in the vehicle) and exhibited alternatives.

For both the awareness and training part of the campaign, they involved people at the grass roots level – traders associations – of kaikari vyabarikal (vegetable vendors), erachi kadais (butchers), kalyanan mandaabams (wedding halls), grocery stores and even sanitary workers.  They got the buy in of electorate representatives, ward members, panchayat(village council) leaders, schools, college principals, religious leaders, collectorate and district level officers.

The process used multiple channels of communications – FM radio, print, TV, interpersonal communication, text messages, communications through schools, colleges and religious media. Even a Facebook Page called Plastics Free Kanyakumari has been set up to share and discuss the journey.

The positive message about the campaign reached the person on the street, very successfully.   It was heartening to hear many of them say, “Bhoomikku romba nallathu amma” (Good for the earth, mam).  For example, our newspaper delivery man knew about it and he felt that the roads are much cleaner. He also commented that it is actually a profitable scheme for shopkeepers, elaborating that previously people used to take plastic bags even if they just purchased one or two small items, which they now carry without a plastic bag.  

EMPOWER:  A resolution was passed in local bodies (consisting of 1,057 rural habitations, 56 Town Panchayats (village councils) and 4 Municipalities) throughout the district not to use throw away plastic items.  Authorities were empowered to impose a fine of 100 rupees to anyone found carrying a plastic bag.  Shops that provided or sold plastic bags are subject to higher fines, seizure of materials and even shut down for non-compliance.  The administration also empowered a few local entrepreneurs to provide alternative solutions to plastic bags and cups.  Local companies started producing fiber bags and paper cups to supply to the shops.

I recall a situation when I went to the local super market and said “Oops, I didn’t bring my own bag!”  However, the store was better prepared than I was.  They sold cloth bags which look like fancy versions of the manjal thambula pais (the yellow bags they give out as favors in Indian weddings).  They come in different sizes, starting at 3 rupees per bag.  I bought 2 bags – nice orange and green ones.  I still use them, and hope to proudly take them to shops in the USA as well!!   

Rajendra Ratnoo(left), Madavi Oliver(centre) with others

ENERGIZE:

A unique feature of this campaign is the “practice before you preach” methodology. Rajendra Ratnoo himself led the effort. He and his family first stopped using plastics, followed by the entire staff at the Collector office and other district level officers. Then it trickled down to leaders, opinion makers, electorate reps, ward members, panchayat officers, and sanitary workers.

The collector was visibly present, often sporting a green shirt, at numerous meetings and training sessions. He secured the firm support of the Minister, Member of Parliament and other elected officials from Kanyakumari district. His enthusiasm was present online as well. He was quick to respond to blogs and other online chatter on the matter. These are all a refreshing experience for the public and unusual in India. This infectious energy from the top down made the public and the vendors extend their cooperation.

No Plastic Bag sign at Pharmacy

There are many examples that demonstrate the energy and enthusiasm about the program. Employees of a local company RedEgg InfoExpert, used the ban plastics theme in their fashion parade competition to promote the idea. A local bakery, Cake World, displays a prominent sign advocating the benefits of not using plastics. Vegetable vendor Vincent proudly sells a cloth bag with his own branding.

 The owner of Eden Pharmacy says that most tablets and small medicine bottles have always been packed in a brown covers. Before they used to put this brown cover in a plastic bag, and now they don’t. Since the ban went into effect, they bought 50 cloth bags to keep as a backup. But, they have had to only give out 5-6 in the past 2 months. Most people bring their own bags nowadays. He also cautioned that the most important thing is to keep checking, since people slowly slack off and sneak these bags back into use.
 
ENFORCE : The enforcement started on the pre-announced day of April 1st, 2010. Even the enforcement approach is unique. While the threat of a 100 rupee fine keeps the person on the street from using a plastic bag, the Collector’s philosophy again is thoughtful. He encourages his squad, “It’s not about how many miscreants you find, but how many you check for”.

Planning with District Level key officials

I learned that he was present in person at businesses and convinced them on the merits of the program. They used short messages on mobile phones to quickly communicate about the ban. They formed 94 flying squads and inspected shops, hotels and other commercial establishments to check on the use of plastics.  These surprise inspections go on even now.

The administration is also very swift to act. A few days ago a local branch of a major retailer chain was still packing groceries in plastic bags. Within hours of this incident being reported via facebook, the district officials including the SDM & RDO Nagercoil, along with Commissioner, Municipal Administration, and Pollution Control Board Officials inspected the premises. They seized 82.59 kg of plastic carry bags and cups. The department store was also locked down until they complied with the regulations.  Again, something you don’t see your typical administration execute so well in India. Many kudos to Kanyakumari!!

In some ways, it is a déjà vu of my childhood days.  If you rewind history, the non-use of plastics is not new to India.  During my childhood in the 60s, Mom used to (always) take a basket to market, a tiffin box to buy mutton, “thuni pai (cloth bag)” for groceries.  There has always been a green movement in India.  It is weaved into the culture of saving, reusing and saving more.   Do you remember the paper guy calling out “palzhaya paperu!!” (old papers) and how we sold our end of year school notebooks, old text books, magazines and newspapers to him?  And the person who buys glass bottles and even people who buy old clothes you wish to dispose and give you some “ever silver” (stainless steel) vessels in return. 

I recall using every part of a coconut or banana tree and burning off dry leaf waste.  People used to put eggshells as manure for their rose plants.  I would be wrong to say no one does these things any more.  It’s just that fewer people do it in these modern times.  Unknowingly we have shifted towards consumerism and waste production. As our lifestyles have changed we have also changed.  We just need to go back to our roots.

I had to make changes in my own home.  No plastic bags to line the waste bucket – what do I do?  Solution – compost the green matter, save the paper, bottles and other recyclable goods to resell, dispose and wash the bin everyday – there is less trash anyway.   And just for fun, we decided to wash and save the eggs shells to make a mosaic . 

Set your own date to quit using plastic bags.  But do it before it’s too late to turn back.  You don’t have to live in the Kanyakumari district to do it.  Do it anywhere in the world.  All you have to do is carry a bag or two in your vehicle.  Make a stand. You can do your part by saying no to – one plastic bag at a time.  

Maradhi Manni: Nagercoil bids adieu to Plastic- District Collector explains how they did it!

In Rajendra Ratnoo’s words :

“The plastics carry bags and cups are banned in the entire District, consisting of 1057 rural habitations, 56 Town Panchayats and 4 Municipalities (Nagercoil is one among the 4 municipalities) and not in Nagercoil alone! What made us to succeed is that we did almost a six months long campaign and this campaign had some specific strategies, such as

1.Campaign had three components- Awareness generation, Training for behavioral Change of all stakeholders and Enforcement from a preannounced date i.e. 1st April 2010

2. Focus in the trainings beyond knowledge i.e. on change in attitude and behaviour

3. Leading by example before preaching i.e. before launching the campaign in Public Domain, First Collector and his family stopped using plastics, then entire Collector Office Staff and District Level Officers said NO to it, then we targeted the Leaders and opinion makers, including Honourable Minister for Tourism, MLAs, Municipal and Town Pt Chairpersons and gradually we went down upto ward members, SHG leaders, Traders, and sanitary workers!

4. Multiple Channels of Communication, including vernacular media, Schools, Colleges, FM Radio, SMS,Voice calls from District Collector to all citizens, through religious leaders i.e. both mass media, and interpersonal communication strategies were used!

The results of our team work are very encouraging and we are following and monitoring the Enforcement! Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board provided good support in the campaign.

We have now launched the next Campaign for waste segregation and decentralised composting wherever possible and stopping pollution of water bodies that will be liable for criminal action from 1st July! We finally dream for a Zero Garbage Kanyakumari District! Solicit support and encouragement of responsible civil society members like you!

Yentha.com  : KOCHU VARTHAMANAM: One Small District, One Helluva Message 

The Hindu: Anti-plastic campaign launched

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