City looks beyond plastics for utility

P Natarajan of Namma Ooru Foundation has launched a campaign called Massila Margazhi (pollution-free Margazhi). “We have reached out to Carnatic singers to take up the challenge and say ‘no’ to plastic bottles during kutcheris in sabhas. They have pledged to use reusable water bottles and give up single use, throw away disposable bottles for water. Through this campaign, the singers are also urging the audience to follow suit,” he says.

Apart from educating people on using single-use plastic, it’s equally important to teach them about managing the waste. “Composting is the best solution — we have already reached out to communities, colleges, schools and temples for this initiative. If people can take a sincere effort, then we can save our environment,” he adds.

Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) will be organising Kuppai Thiruvizha at Panagal Park on December 23 from 9 am onwards. Kripa Ramachandran, a research fellow at CAG, says, “With this event, we wanted to reach out to a larger section of people and introduce them to alternatives to plastic. There will be workshops on how to reduce the use of plastic and how one can make lifestyle changes.”

Arul Priya, the founder of Namma Boomi, an initiative that encourages people to be eco-friendly products, stresses the importance of sustainable practices. “Because of the popularity of plastics people have become dependent on it. It’s not an easy process to dissuade people from using plastic. But a small effort would make a lot of difference,” she says.

Namma Boomi has introduced various eco-friendly, biodegradable natural alternatives. “We have come up with eco-friendly tableware products like takeaway boxes, plates, bowls, cups, straws and cutleries made of sugarcane bagasse. They can be easily compostable and act as carbon for your nitrogen-rich kitchen waste. We also make craft bags (from recycled papers) and jute bags — one of the best alternatives for plastic bags,” shares Arul. A 16-year-old student from the city, Jai Aswani, founded Born2win to encourage Chennaiites to give up plastic from their daily use. “I am organising a massive drive by donating one lakh cloth bags for free at Grand Mall, Velachery on December 22. The cloth bags are made by an NGO in the city. If everyone can do their bit, we can easily make our country plastic-free,” he says.