Recycling forward: Experts suggest tips to go plastic free

Mould young mindsAmishi Parasrampuria founder of Upcyclerrsquos Lab believes that recycling is the best way to reduce virgin plastic from being added to the environment so itrsquos a practice that we must build into our lives She stresses on the importance of moulding young minds and inculcating sustainable habits early on The 32yearoldrsquos initiative teaches children about the environment through games topics include waste segregation and management and the cause of ocean pollutants and how they affect marine life Noting that recycling is a collective effort their board games work on the cooperation of all players against the boardDo it rightgtgt If you cannot reduce plastic by refusing to buy it ensure you recycle it the right way mdash by segregating cleaning and drying plastic waste before you send it to recycling centres or aggregatorsgtgt Mumbaikars should adopt doortodoor services that pick up waste for recycling like 5RCycle Foundationgtgt Reuse as much as is safe and possible before you recyclegtgt There is value in upcycling only if what is made has longterm value like furniture Decorative items that wonrsquot last long add to waste and create smaller particles that cannot be recycled or further contaminate material for recyclingLog on to upcyclerslabcomCut back on plasticldquoRecycling cleans up the plastic mess created so far but we need to shut the taprdquo Lokesh Sambhwani cofounder of Refillable tells us To do this the 25yearold suggests replacing the habit of buying new plastic products with reusing and refilling what we already have Illustrating the impact a single household can make he explains that if we begin refilling detergent and liquid soap bottles each refill will avoid 80 gms of plastic multiply that by the number of bottles needed for different uses the number of bottles we need every month and thatrsquos how much one family can cut back on plastic But if yoursquore thinking about shifting to refillable pouches sold by brands in the market think again These pouches are made from MLP or Multilayered Plastics which do not get recycled economically or widelyPurav Desai Rahul Batra and Lokesh Sambhwani of RefillableSmall steps mattergtgt When you order food online avoid cutlery Recycling such waste is easily overlooked in terms of monetary benefit and quantity by segregators as compared to plastic bottlesgtgt Choose thrift businesses to facilitate a circular economygtgt Start with one act the more you practise it the more involved you will getLog on to refillableindiaIt all adds upPuneet Jain 34 managing director of Enviro Recyclean points out that the price of products and packaging made from recycled material might exceed that of items made from virgin plastic This makes opting for virgin plastic products costeffective as theyrsquore widely available and convenient However he asks us to look closely at the value of recycled materialUpcycled benchldquoPeople might not understand the impact of virgin plastic in terms of energy and fossil fuels that go into making it and the price we pay for introducing more plastic into the environmentrdquo The recycling process is a chain that requires individual and collective effort Jain stresses on each person doing their part with the help of Urban Local Bodies and NGOs that are already in place to help citizens recycleLog on to envirorecycleancomTiles by Enviro RecycleanBuild a habitgtgt Consumers and citizens are a part of the recycling process Carry out your partgtgt Keep different garbage cans for wet and dry waste so that segregation is easiergtgt A leader can drive change Start by changing your mindset incorporating recycling habits at home and then in your society