Reusable cups, plates for an eco-friendly Ramzan

As many as 46 mosques in and around Shivajinagar are set to have an eco-friendly Ramzan this year through the efforts of a few vigilant citizens of the area with the help of the BBMP. MS Sufiyan, a resident of Sampangiramnagar, is leading the efforts to distribute reusable paper cups and plates for evening meals in these mosques. "On a daily basis, as many as 1,000 people break their day-long fasts in various mosques in the area. As a result of this, plastic waste gets accumulated a great deal. In order to reduce plastic, a group of a few concerned citizens collected around Rs 1.5 lakh and bought various reusable plates, cups and gave it to each masjid. This led to a reduction of the waste by around 50%,” said Sufiyan. The idea was initially put forth and agreed upon by Yatish Kumar, Joint Commissioner, BBMP East and Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, SWM (Solid Waste Management) and Health. A letter was then sent to the concerned mosques requesting them not to use any form of plastic when serving meals. As many as 5,000 sets of reusable plates, cups and tumblers were bought after raising money and these were then distributed. A vehicle has also been allotted to collect waste from the mosques. Five volunteers have been allocated to each mosque for the entire duration of the month of Ramzan to ensure the proper execution of the initiative. Sarfaraz Khan said that such a micro-level plan to keep the city clean was a superb initiative. BBMP officials will be on rounds in the evenings to enforce the ban on plastic with a number of pourakarmikas allotted to clear the waste generated during the evening. The civic body will also issue a certificate to the establishments who cooperate during the month.   News Credit: DHNS