For a group of five friends, the holy month of Ramzan was not just about roza (fasting), praying and generosity. They took it upon themselves to educate people about the ill-effects of using plastic.
Every day, as the time to break the fast neared, they spread out across Shivajinagar and took positions in front of mosques. They handed melamine bowls and plates to visitors with a request to avoid the cheap, disposable, plastic ones.
“Melamine is a high quality plastic that can be reused, thus reducing the wastage of plastic,” said Susiyan, who is part of the group.
The group said this was not a one-time effort. They have been at it since 2015. “We have been visiting mosques and asking people not to use disposable plastic. We saved money, and bought melamine bowls and plates from Mumbai, which we distributed at various mosques,” he said.
This Ramzan, the friends spread their message in 64 mosques. “We would have reduce wastage of plastic by 55%. We also set up composting units in three mosques and ensured all the wet waste was put into it. We placed drums, with a capacity of 300 litres, in three mosques,” Mr. Susiyan said.
