At least 26 persons who used public transport to attend The Hindu Lit for Life on Saturday exchanged their tickets at the zero waste counter for small gifts. The annual festival, being held at the Lady Andal School campus, is trying out zero waste this time along with the organisers of the Chennai Kalai Theruvizha (CKT).
Of the 3,000-plus visitors, hundreds came by public transport, said Nityanand Jayaram of the CKT. “When we talk about zero waste, we only think of garbage, but riding single in big cars too is a waste. We want people to carpool as far as possible,” he said. In the morning, in just an hour, a total of 1,087 vehicles entered the venue. Of this, 446 were single passenger cars, 114 were autorickshaws, and 260 were two-wheelers. He added that the festival aimed to reduce sending garbage to the Kodungayur dumpyard, where garbage from the venue is usually sent and where CKT is held.
Big step
Among its many initiatives, the organisers have also managed to do away with 2,400 PET drinking water bottles, that were distributed to delegates and visitors last year. A volunteer with the CKT, Dhruv Siddharth, who is studying at the O.P. Jindal Global University, said they had ensured that food stalls provide only eco-friendly alternatives to paper cups/plates. “We even recycled the black garbage bags. We got very less dry waste. I think this idea could catch on and could do well in my university,” he said. Collage artist and designer V.V. Ramani said: “People litter all the time and especially in large gatherings. After the plastic ban, you find everyone carrying bags to shops. It is a good step by The Hindu. ”
