NGO launches plastic recycling drive to provide free medicines

The Malwani Health Care amp Public Service Centre a Mumbaibased nonprofit organisation NGO working towards community welfare has introduced an innovative ecofriendly initiative that blends environmental responsibility with public health supportThe NGO has installed ldquoPlastic Bottle Recycle Boxesrdquo outside its clinic in Malwani encouraging residents to deposit their empty plastic bottles instead of discarding them on the streetsUnder this initiative citizens who contribute to the recycling effort receive free medicines for common ailments such as fever body pain cough cold and headaches The model operates on a simple yet impactful concept ldquoYou feed me plastic bottles I give back free medicines to the needyrdquoThe campaign Plastic Do Muft Mein Dawai Lo Social Drive was conceptualised and initiated by Hussain Shaikh the founder of the Malwani Health Care amp Public Service Centre popularly known as ldquoHealthbuddyrdquoThe drive began a year ago in Malwani MHADA Malad West with the aim of reducing plastic pollution and supporting lowincome families who struggle to afford basic medicationShaikh said that used plastic bottles once emptied lost all value for people and often ended up littered across streets contributing to pollution We installed the first recycle box in Malwani a year ago and began collecting discarded bottles Every month the box would fill up five to six times The collected plastic was then sold to nearby scrap vendors earning Rs 500ndashRs 800 per monthThis money was used responsibly to purchase loose medicines under the supervision of a visiting doctor at the centre With just this one box every month we provided free medicines for fever body pain cough cold and other aches to 20 to 30 people in MalwaniEncouraged by the success of the initial experiment we now aim to scale up the initiative by involving various NGOs social workers political groups and the general publicI believe that with collective participation the campaign can provide free medication to a much larger number of people while helping reduce plastic waste in the locality he saidThrough this initiative we are planning to connect NGOs social workers schools and politicians to spread maximum awareness We have also started an awareness campaign on social media appealing to people not to throw away used plastic bottles Instead they should collect them and give them to our NGO Our NGO will sell those bottles and buy medicines which will then be provided free of cost to the needyWhen a large quantity of used plastic bottles is collected the money earned by selling them will be used to purchase essential medicines and other required drugs prescribed by doctors These medicines will be given free of charge to people in needTo demonstrate the impact and possibilities of the drive our Malwani Health Care amp Public Service Centre is organising a public awareness event on Sunday 30th November from 1 pm to 3 pm where residents can witness how plastic recycling can directly benefit community healthShaikh said that going forward our NGO will purchase a vehicle that will go to peoplersquos homes to collect bottles In addition stalls will be set up at various locations where people can deposit their used plastic bottles