Khliehriat, Nov 8: Plastic wastes form a large chunk of the trash in the State. This is because plastic bottles are ubiquitous. They are cheap, convenient, and lightweight—but once the beverage or chips inside has been consumed, the bottle and the wrappers are typically tossed into the trash.
A community-based organisation in Mutong, East Jaiñtia Hills district found a way in ‘eco-bricking’, a process that has gained traction in recent times all over the world. This involves gathering all materials that cannot be recycled or thrown as trash and packing them tightly into a plastic bottle to form a building block, which can then be used for a range of things from sculptures to construction projects.
The Mutong Tourism and Environment Promotion Society had organised a ‘Plastic Festival’ in 2018 by holding a plastic collection competition and an awareness programme in Lad Rymbai and made use of plastic bottles and other trash by constructing a shed overlooking the Moopun Waterfalls, one of the state’s famous tourist destinations.
The festival served as a platform for residents to come together, participate actively, and promote sustainable practices in addressing the dilemma of plastic waste.
President of the Society Helping Phawa said the festival was successful with a huge participation from the villagers. Truck loads of plastic waste such as chips and candy wrappers were collected and transported from Lad Rymbai to Mutong. He said the festival encouraged collective action towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.
Phawa said plastic pollution is a serious issue and the organisation aims to draw more support from the residents by holding the plastic festival once again during the Latuthin Festival to be held in Jalyiah. He said the organisation aims to build a collaborative environment where community members can join forces to tackle the pressing issue of plastic waste.
The organisation has invited participants from across all districts of the state to collect plastic waste and to deposit it on December 12 during the festival to win cash prizes.
Phawa said the first prize winner will get Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 for the second prize, Rs 15,000 third prize and Rs 5000 and Rs 3000 for the fourth and fifth winners respectively.
