Let’s nail the hypocrisy. All of us condemn the use of plastic, but we ourselves are unable to live without it. The first thing we search for if we need to wrap or pack something is a polythene bag. Very few places in India, such as Shimla, Kerala, etc. have been able to successfully ban the usage of plastic entirely.
However, the hazardous nature of plastic is being gradually recognized by other regions too. Even the national capital is taking steps to curb the use of plastic as much as possible. The Deputy Commissioner of North Zone, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Mr. Himanshu Gupta described his unique initiatives that are curbing the issue of plastic waste and also helping the needy, in an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds.
GARBAGE CAFÉS
Every day, around 1000 metric tons of waste gets collected solely from the North Zone and ends up in landfill sites, where it gets difficult to segregate and process it. To decongest the landfill sites and segregate the waste, the administration came up with an idea wherein they asked people to segregate plastic waste for a better cause.
“We tied up with various food outlets and they liked the idea as plastic can be ultimately monetized. It was a win-win situation. Customers could come in with kilograms of plastic, give them to the food-outlet owners who could monetize this further and in return, provide the customers with free meals,” Mr. Gupta told Indian Masterminds.
In exchange for one kg plastic, citizens could get different dishes according to different restaurants. Lots of outlets have come forward to take part in the initiative.
This initiative is also saving manual landfill laborers who had to dive in the dump yards to segregate waste, thus risking their lives. The initiative is a success and leads to collection of about 100 kgs of plastic everyday.
WALL OF KINDNESS
Another initiative by the 2012 batch officer includes opening-up the ‘Wall of Kindness’ in Pusa Roundabout and Panchkuia Road, with the idea of decreasing the number of discarded items reaching landfills and promoting helping the needy.
The administration motivated people to keep their old clothes, shoes, toys, etc. which still have a shelf life, in the place instead of discarding it, so that anyone in need of the items could take it from there for free and use it.
“We cleared large dump yard in the places and converted it into the ‘Wall of Kindness’. Delhi Street Art Group painted the place beautifully with Gond art and spiritual leaders. We also collaborated with NGOs. Recently, various shanties got burnt in Tughlaqabad fire, and we provided the victims with clothes from our wall,” stated the officer.
The initiative focuses on inculcating the habit of Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling and has helped numerous people till now.
INNOVATION LABS
The labs are launched under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to motivate student learning and betterment.
“MCD schools don’t have those kinds of labs and thus do not have interest in studying and experimenting. Therefore, we created child-friendly labs where the focus was to engage children in studies.”
Teachers are also trained with training modules focusing on different initiatives and the labs were set up with equipment that would be of the children’s interest. “Various unique and innovative equipment and instruments are set up in the labs launched in MCD Primary schools H Block Naraina.”
COMMUNITY FRIDGE
Mr. Gupta and his team tied up with the market and sensitized them about food wastage. To prevent the wastage and help the needy, they inaugurated Community Fridges on Friday, March 19th at China market.
“We tied up with restaurant owners and motivated them to donate the leftover food post breakfast, lunch, and dinner to these community fridges so that anyone in need could come and collect the food to feed themselves,” Mr. Gupta told Indian Masterminds.
CREATIVITY OUT OF WASTE
In a bid to utilize waste in an innovative manner, Mr. Gupta has come up with vertical gardens made out of plastic bottles. “We didn’t understand how to utilize the stuff properly so we thought of making planters out of it and form a vertical garden.”
He is also focusing on waste-to-art products now wherein they are converting old tires and plastic waste into art projects. “We are installing them at places where people could gather to have a nice time and click pictures. We are covering more parks where we are installing these waste-to-art projects, different planters, and art works.”
Mr. Gupta’s initiatives are not only helping the environment but also the ones in need.
