When Sreedevi Lakshmikutty and her family moved back to India after having lived abroad for many years, she found “a society that seemed to revel in waste — bio-degradable and non-biodegradable.” She tried to lecture shopkeepers that plastic covers would outlive their grandchildren, but they just shrugged and said, “Every shopper wants a plastic cover, even if they purchase only one item.”
Sreedevi is not the only one on a mission. Kokila Vickneswaran, an IT professional, started researching about healthy food and lifestyle when she was pregnant with her first child. “I was horror struck and heartbroken when I found out about the harmful stuff in our food and baby care items.” Her husband and she began to make slow but steady changes in their lifestyle. They now live on a small farm, home-school their children and wage a battle against this multi-headed monster called Plastics.
Green living is the only way for Anita Balasubramanian and Kokila Vickneswaran and
Another one who is trying to generate as little garbage as possible is Anita Balasubramanian. “Our family lives near Anaikatti on a farm and we constantly try to simplify our life and reduce our footprint on this earth. Every time we have to throw something away, we remind ourselves that there is no ‘away’. We only have one earth!”
Kokila’s mantra to handle plastics is “REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE/UPCYCLE, RECYCLE in that order”. She explains that recycling is the last resort because it is energy intensive and polluting. Anita’s family ensures that whatever little plastic leaves her home is segregated into that which cannot be recycled, that which can be upcycled at home and used in craft work. Only that which cannot be recycled or upcycled is thrown into the garbage bin. “We empty our miscellaneous (regular size) garbage bin, which includes all that cannot be recycled, only ONCE in two months.”
All of them support local vendors and farmers, which helps avoid plastic-wrapped supermarket stuff. Despite it, plastic bags and wrappers fo dnrsk in. The most sustainable thing to do is to consume less, says Sreedevi. Strict government policies and uncompromising adherence is the way ahead and extended producer responsibility is an integral part of dealing with waste — plastic or otherwise.
Shopping
Reduce the number of trips to a shop. Buy local, earth-friendly, used and recycled or up-cycled. Buy groceries in bulk and take your own containers. Find shops that sell without plastic packaging
Carry your own cloth bags for shopping. A few grocery items do come in plastic covers. Try and reuse or upcycle them.
Carry your own stainless tiffin boxes for take-outs and train travel.
Carry stainless steel water bottles and straws instead of plastic ones.
Instead of buying plastic-based items such as boxes, kitchen storage, and buckets, buy stainless steel, clay, papier mache, palm leaf, etc. If you have to use plastic, make sure it is food grade, can be recycled or upcycled and not just one-time use
Buy wooden toys or cardboard games. Make your own board games
Avoid ordering online, as items are packed in plastic
Buy second-hand stuff.
At home
Bake your own bread, make your podis, chips, jams and snacks.
Avoid buying chocolates, candies or any processed foods
Make your own tooth powder), shampoos (hibiscus leaves and shikakai), soaps (bath powder using green moon dal and other ingredients), sanitary pads and diapers (use she-cups or cloth pads and diapers), organic kumkum. No microbead and toxin-filled facial scrubs or cosmetics
Make your own citrus-based natural cleaners or use white vinegar with baking soda to avoid toxic store-bought chemicals in thick plastic containers
Use soapnuts or soapnut-based laundry powder.
Use only cotton clothes, not fleece or micro-fibre-based clothes to avoid pollution of water sources.
Use paper bags to line your garbage bin. This is possible if you segregate your vegetable waste from other waste.
Compost your vegetable waste or feed the cows in your area.
