The Maihar forest sub-division in Madhya Pradesh undertook its yearly push to plant 4.7 lakh tree saplings in June and July 2021. Anupam Sharma of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) came to assess the area shortly after the drive ended. He was shocked to see low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic waste around the neighborhood. “About 5 lakh saplings was are by the forest department, and each of them came in a plastic bag. On the one side, we were fighting for environmental causes, but on the other, we had gathered roughly 5,000 kilos of plastic waste as a result of our actions, with no legal means to dispose of it,” he states.
Anupam, posted as trainee sub-divisional officer, says that if left unchecked. Plastic waste pollutes and causes damage to the environment for years.
He attempted to contact the local government, but they refused to acquire the waste and lacked the necessary treatment facilities. “I was sceptical of the incineration processes and I was refusing to give the waste to be burn because it could pollute the air.” I even considered establishing a unit that transforms plastic garbage into granules, which would provide jobs for the people under the Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC). “However, the concept was impracticable due to financial constraints,” Anupam recalls.
Plastic waste mitigation
After doing some more study on plastic waste mitigation. He found a scrap dealer who agreed to buy the debris for Rs 12 per kg and transport it to recycling plants in Indore and Jabalpur.
However, there was a stipulation. “To get the greatest prices, recycling plastic is important.” To achieve this, the department held a demonstration on how to clean the plastic by rubbing off the soil and washing away pebbles, twigs, and other garbage.” Anupam adds, adding that the scrape sale netted the department Rs 59,000.
“The carbon impact of LDPE plastic is around 6kg CO2 behind every kg of plastic,” Anupam continues. As a result, about 30,000 kilos of CO2 emissions which is possible to avoid as a result of this project.”
Cash utilized for a social cause
However, Anupam didn’t know the way the cash could possibly make help a social cause. So he approached his spouse, Bhavna, a solid waste administration knowledgeable, to hunt options.
Bhavna advised organizing a biogas plant at an old-age-home, putting in an oil presser machine and a spice grinder unit. The goal was to assist create employment alternatives for the villagers. “We procured the models at subsidised charges. This allowed us to decrease buy prices to nearly 50 percent,” she tells.
According to Anupam, they helped to prevent plastic trash from entering landfills. While also providing long-term employment prospects for the people.
“Every year, millions of trees are planted around the country, and the cumulative effect of untreated plastic from tree plantation drives can have significant negative effects on the environment,” he continues. Such waste management strategies can make tree-planting drives truly environmentally friendly.”