Even as Earth Day is being observed on Sunday, tonnes of plastic will eventually end up as trash all around the world. Dismayed by the accumulation of garbage, many greens are racing against time to do their bit to save the environment.
The impact of unchecked disposal of plastic can be witnessed in the wild and in the heart of urban life alike and in the oceans. During a trek, Praveen Muraleedharan, an eco-tourism entrepreneur, who recently participated in a plogging event in Kodaikanal, could not resist taking a snapshot of a lion-tailed macaque, a critically endangered species, at Valparai in Coimbatore this month. “The animal dangling from a tree branch was sucking from what appeared to be an empty bottle of a popular fruit drink,” he says. On another occasion, he discovered microfibre fluff amidst twigs inside a bird nest in Bengaluru.
Rooting for nature
Similarly, a group of trekkers from the city, during a nature camp in the pristine forests of Athirapally last year, encountered a jumbo hobbling in agony, bleeding heavily from one of its legs. A large shard of a beer bottle had pierced into its sole and was stuck there. “We alerted the forest department, who in turn rushed in a veterinarian to tend to the injured elephant,” recalls Ratheesh. K, president of Nature Education Society of Travancore (NEST), which collects plastic waste from wildlife areas across the State during their monthly trips for safe disposal.
NEST members at Brahmagiri in Karnataka
“We have found high amounts of plastic in elephant dung in several places, especially near Sabarimala region,” says Ratheesh. Particularly, high salt content in leftover snacks packets attract animals that often ingest them, eventually falling ill, he points out.
The cascading effect of polluting the surface of the earth inevitably reaches the deep seas too and we now have underwater warriors “diving” to the occasion. For instance, in Kovalam, there is never a dearth of tourists and visitors at this popular haunt. But not far from the coastline, a bunch of professional divers of underwater adventure firm Bond Safari have been taking the plunge in scuba-diving gear on a rotational basis every single day for the past three years. Their aim: simply pick up as much plastic as possible from the ocean floor. “We often use the term ‘Planet Earth’. I believe that itself is technically incorrect. The planet is made up of about 30 per cent land and about 70 per cent ocean,” says Jackson Peter, Managing Director of Bond Safari.
Unchecked flow
“If only you went down there (seabed), you’ll find anything from plastic in all imaginable forms to cloth to paper to bags. Whatever is dumped in the rivers and canals flows unchecked and eventually finds its way to the oceans,” says Suraj Khan, Jackson’s business partner. The two took up the challenge of purging plastic garbage from the seabed as they “refused to let their guests feel disappointed about the world underwater.”
A scuba diver of Bond Safari shows a plastic cover collected from the seabed
Bond Safari has managed to dredge up over 1 tonne of plastic garbage so far, he says.
So what about other waste materials? “Unlike plastic, any other substance, over the years, turns into coral or eventually into something useful for the marine life in some way or the other,” explains Jackson. Bond Safari has tied up with Eco Preserve, an initiative that collects garbage for its safe disposal at recycling plants in Tamil Nadu.
Praveen, who runs resorts in Munnar, Wayanad and Marari beach in Alappuzha, says one way he attempts to limit plastic garbage is by refraining from bringing any inorganic material to his business properties. Instead, he opts for cloth carry bags made of jute or cotton handmade by local tailors and craftsmen and sterilised glass bottles. “We forgo the concept of mineral water,” he says. Almost all of the spices and ingredients for masala for culinary purposes are cultivated in his organic farms, thus curbing generation of waste plastic packets. However, Praveen admits that with tourists coming in, the minimum plastic waste produced is collected, segregated, cleaned and despatched to authorised recycling plants in Tamil Nadu.
Reflecting on his “exhilarating” plogging experience, Praveen says the new popular eco-friendly workout is something anyone can try their hand at. “If you are travelling, say to a wildlife sanctuary or a forest, just carry a bag with you. While walking, just pick up any trash you find.”
But the root of the problem lies far away from the wild and the waters. “Without practically containing the use of plastic in the market and in the cities, the menace cannot be rooted out,” opines Suresh Kurup, another NEST member. Come Saturday, it’s back to business for members of NEST who are all set to chug off to Nelliyampathy in Palakkad.
As we gear up to observe Earth Day tomorrow, this may be an opportune time to pause and think before tossing that plastic bottle into the culvert.
