A Fight Against Plastic

A Look Through

A Fight Against PLASTIC

Do you remember the kitchen when you were a kid?

Yes; your Dadi’s and mommy’s kitchen.  What did you saw? Steel/Pital/ Copper’s utensils & containers  to store grains & Pulses. Earthen/ceramic containers for pickles and masala. 

Now the important point is how’s your kitchen now?  I could say that more than 50% of your kitchen is occupied with plastic. We often store our grain, pulses, pickles masala, etc. for a long time.

You name it and you can store it in a fancy and attractive plastic container. Human life has become so easier with the use of plastic. But the lifecycle of nature got disturbed. Because You Know Why?

Let us see some of the side effects of the plastic in our routine life.

•  A very bad impact on our health. If we consume food/water stored in plastic containers for a longer time; we are likely to face issues like cancer, infertility and more.
•  We all are aware that plastic is non-degradable. Very few percentages of plastic material get recycled; rest typically ends up in rivers, ocean, and other natural habitats. This intern disturbs the lifecycle of the marine lifecycle.
• Many times the plastic bags which are thrown on the streets; gets eaten by cows and buffalos; disturbing their food cycle. Usi gay ka Dudh hum log pi lete hain. Thinking that we are having healthy food but in reality, it is not true.
• We will end up living in a giant Junk Yard. What kind of legacy are we going to give to our next generation?

How can we avoid this?

1.      Always carry cloth bags with you whenever going out for shopping.
2.         . Do not purchase plastic items until and unless it is very important.
3.        .  Always carry a water bottle with you. Avoid buying bottled water.
4.           Replace your plastic containers with steel/glass/ceramic/earthen.
5.          Avoid using plastic strainers to strain the hot liquid. These plastic strainers are usually are not BPA free. By adding hot liquid; the harmful chemicals get into your drink.
6.         Whenever planning for a party at your house; please try to use bio-degradable disposable material. OR using Steel utensils is always the best practice.
7.         Before throwing old/used plastic material in garbage think twice. Try to use it in some creative/ decorative way. There are very good videos on YouTube/pint rest which will guide you for this.
8.         Encourage local shopkeepers & super marker stores not to pre-pack the material in plastic bags. We need to figure out the golden way out between traditional methods and modern approach the super marketers.
9.         Once you buy grains or any other goods from marker which comes in plastic bags/containers; transfer them to steel containers.
10.         It might be the good business opportunity for budding creative entrepreneurs putting up a business model that will recycle the plastic material.

Here are very innovative  examples set by few people in reusing of plastic:

1. A school in Guwahati named ‘Akshar Forum’ accepts plastic waste as school fees from students who are underprivileged.
2. Around one lakh kilometer of roads are being made in India from plastic waste.
3. India’s first garbage café is in Chhattisgarh.   This restaurant offers food in exchange for plastic waste.

My attempt to Reusing my household plastic containers.

SPI Code: 

In 1988, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) established a classification system to help people properly recycle and dispose of their plastics. Today, manufacturers follow this coding system and place a number, or SPI code, on each product, usually molded into the bottom.

Types of plastic we generally use in our daily life:

1.  PETE or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): SPI code 1.  Mainly used in soda bottles, water bottles, Salad dressing bottles, bean nags, ropes, jelly jars,  combs,  carpet,  medicine jars. These containers sometimes absorb odors and flavors from foods and drinks that are stored inside them. However, this is still a commonly used plastic for many household items and daily essentials. It is recyclable.
2. HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene): SPI Code 2. Shampoo bottles,         toys, detergent containers, grocery bags, etc. These products are very safe and are not known to leach any chemicals into foods or drinks. Due to the risk of contamination, however, it’s not safe to reuse an HDPE bottle as a food or drink container if it didn’t originally contain some kind of edible substance.  It is recyclable.
3. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride): SPI Code 3.  Mainly used in Shoes, Gutters, Window frames, Ducts, Sewage pipes. This kind of plastic should not come in contact with food items as it is a dangerous, toxic chemical.
4.   LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene): SPI Code 4. Mainly used in Cling wrap, Squeezable bottles, Grocery bags, Frozen food bags, Flexible container lids. This plastic tends to be both durable and flexible. It also does not release harmful chemicals into objects, making it a safe choice for food storage.
5. PP (Polypropylene): SPI Code 5. Mainly used in Plastic diapers, Tupperware, Kitchenware, Yogurt containers, Prescription bottles, Bottle caps, Take-out containers, Disposable cups, and plates. It is not recyclable. This type of plastic is strong and can usually withstand higher temperatures. That’s why you’re able to reheat your leftovers in Tupperware without worrying about it melting!
6. PS (Polystyrene or Styrofoam): SPI Code 6. Used  in Disposable coffee cups, Plastic food boxes, Plastic cutlery, packing foam, etc. It is non-recyclable.
7. Miscellaneous Plastics:  SPI Code 7. Mainly Used in Plastic CDs and DVDs, Baby bottles, Large water bottles with multiple-gallon capacity, Medical storage containers, Eyeglasses, Exterior lighting fixtures, etc. Think of these items as plastics, but ones that don’t conform to society’s rules by fitting into a specific SPI code.

A very famous celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Divekar has strongly recommended that kids the  meal should not be from plastic in her book called ‘Notes for Healthy Kids’.

Another famous nutritionist from Nagpur city always advises people not to drink water from plastic bottles. 

Here’s a very informative video shared by here on her facebook page.

It is a real challenge of living in a plastic-free world. Let’s try to give our children and future generations a healthy life. It’s their right. One way of doing this is by reducing/recycling the use of plastic from our routine life.

Respect Mother Nature.