As part of ‘The Himalayan Cleanup 2025’ campaign, the Department of Environment and Traditional Ecosystems at Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), Shillong, conducted a comprehensive cleaning drive along the university campus and the surrounding areas of Nongrah and Lapalang market.
MLCU is the only institute in Meghalaya to have conducted such an audit under the programme. The audit, carried out by students of the department, helped identify the top contributors to plastic pollution in the region. Prominent among the waste collected were single-use plastics, sachets, and multilayer packaging—items commonly associated with well-known consumer brands.
This data is crucial for policymakers and empowers local communities to hold producers accountable for their environmental impact, MLCU Public Relations Officer Gary Wendell Suchiang said in a statement.
He said students not only gained hands-on experience in waste and brand auditing but also developed a deeper sense of civic responsibility. By confronting the stark realities of plastic pollution affecting both urban and traditional ecosystems, they emerged more conscious of their own consumption patterns, the statement reads.
