If we look around, one would be able to identify at least 20 things made up of plastic. If we made up our mind to at least replace one plastic item each week, the amount of burden which we take off from the earth would be unimaginable. Once discarded, plastic materials can take centuries to break down. They clog up landfills and overburden waste-processing facilities. By turning bottles, packaging and other plastic refuse into new goods, recycling helps the environment. Only replacing plastic is not enough. The replaced items need to be reused to contribute in ecological development.
Like, a simple example would be recycling plastic bottles to jars for masala, or a pen stand, or a jewellery locker, etc. We teach our children in their syllabus to separate wet and dry wastes. Is it okay to only keep these teachings confined to syllabus? Only when we start segregating can the authorities easily recycle our plastic wastes. We can get creative and encourage children to make the best out of waste (for plastic bottles). Instead of buying plastic covers at malls we can carry our own.
In summary, any sort of effort aimed at saving the environment is very important and matters a lot. In order to keep our environment clean, reduce landfills, & provide a sustainable supply of plastics to manufacturers, it is important to recycle plastics.
Inputs from Ancy Albert
