As climate change talks gain momentum, a school in Northeast India has come up with a way to raise awareness among people about plastic. In a green initiative, the Assam school is accepting plastic waste from children as school fees in order to prevent burning of the waste in the harsh winters of the Himalayan foothills, World Economic Forum reported. In a country where plastic waste soars to 26,000 tonnes daily, Akshar Foundation School encourages students to bring at least 25 plastic items every week.
“Although the foundation is a charity, supported by donations, its says the plastic waste “fees” encourage a sense of community ownership,” WEF said. Currently, about 100 students are enrolled in the school and according to WEF, the initiative is not only helping in the betterment of local environment, but is also changing the lives of local families by tackling child labour. How? The school allows older pupils to teach the younger counterparts, giving them an option to not work in the local quarries which give $2.50 a day. The school pays pupils to teach younger students. The school also tries to arm students with practical skills like installing and operating solar panels.
Meanwhile, India has waged a war against plastic waste and has also been nudging other countries to join green earth cause. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to shift to environmental friendly options from single-use plastics. In fact, it was widely anticipated that the country will ban single-use plastics in the upcoming months.
Recently, the government also threw a challenge to startups to find an alternative for single-use plastics. The government has incentivized them with a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh for first winner and Rs 2 lakh for the second winner. “The target of the single-use plastic grand challenge is to incentivise innovators and startups to develop design solutions,” the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) said.
