Plastic-Waste Management:

Single Use Plastic: Disposable plastic items intended for one-time use.

Microplastics: Tiny plastic particles measuring less than 5 millimeters, often resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items.

Plastic Microfibers: Minuscule plastic fibers shed from synthetic textiles during washing.

Plankton: Microscopic organisms in water bodies, including both plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton).Oxo-biodegradable Plastics: Plastics designed to degrade faster through exposure to oxygen and sunlight, breaking down into smaller fragments.

Circular Economy: An economic model aimed at reducing waste by keeping resources in use for as long as possible through recycling and regeneration. Plastic-eating Bacteria: Microorganisms capable of breaking down certain types of plastic.

Read Also: Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

In news

• Prime Minister’s Call: Narendra Modi urged people to abandon single-use plastic for the sake of the environment.
• Promotion of Alternatives: Emphasized the use of jute and cloth bags as eco-friendly alternatives.
• Innovation in Recycling: Encouraged startups and experts to explore innovative ways to recycle plastic, such as incorporating it into building highways.
• Shopkeeper Appeal: Requested shopkeepers to display signs indicating their refusal to provide plastic bags and to offer cloth bags for sale or use.

At Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA)

• Adage of “Charity Begins at Home” Highlighted to underscore the responsibility of IGNFA (Indian Forest Service training center) in minimizing plastic use.
• Role of IFS Officers: Defined around conserving the nation’s ecological integrity.
• Initiative by 2018 Batch IFS Trainees: Resolved on April 2, 2019, to make IGNFA plastic-free.
• Implementation of “Plastic-free IGNFA Initiative”: Initiated to gather baseline data through assessments and surveys.
• Systematic Approach: Detailed location-specific plans and actions to achieve the plastic-free goal.

Event Specific Initiatives

• Diverse Activities at the Academy: Includes sports meets, cultural events, workshops, and study tours.
• Initiative for Plastic-Free Events: Team meetings before events to identify and address potential plastic usage.
• Transforming Sports Meets: Eliminated single-use plastic bottles, glasses, and plates, replaced with biodegradable alternatives. Packaging plastics from sports gear were sent for recycling.
• Awareness Through Posters: Used posters to raise awareness about reducing plastic dependency.
• Convocation 2019 Changes: Shifted from plastic-wrapped bouquets to wooden baskets and jute wrappings. Introduced metal water bottles instead of single-use plastic for chief guests.
• Remaining Challenges: Certain areas like plastic banners, thermocol for decoration, and plastic coverings on food and gift wrappers still posed challenges in eliminating plastic use. Efforts made to reuse generated plastic waste.
• Touring Initiatives: Identified disposable water bottles as a major source of plastic waste during tours. Introduced hand-operated water pumps and refillable cans in vehicles. Provided gunny bags for waste collection and organized cleanliness drives during tours

Conclusion :

The initiative, starting April 2, 2019, aims to curb plastic misuse at the Academy by addressing the harm from single-use plastics and poor waste management. Change is gradual, requiring documentation, SOPs, and constant monitoring. Remaining challenges include canal clogging and extending the initiative campus-wide. The established committee leads the effort, enforcing measures and adapting as needed. Small actions, it’s believed, will systematically tackle environmental issues, fostering harmony with nature.

Read also: The Plastic Fibers: Understanding the Global Impact of Pollution