Let’s talk plastic

Renu Narayan’s fight against plastic stretches back back in time, by 18 years. A resident of Injambakkam on East Coast Road, she has been taking simple and gradual steps towards cutting out the usage of plastic in her her daily life. She has shared her experience with others and also conducted campaigns. The latest campaign is The Dialogue: an online interactive platform to take her message to other residents and encourage them to follow these simple measures.

“I started The Dialogue a month ago. It is a conversation initiator, where others can share their suggestions and similar plastic and other waste management practices,” she says.

It’s simple

She carries cotton bags not while going on grocery and vegetable shopping, but also while shopping for clothes.

While purchasing her groceries from wholesale markets, she gets rice, pulses and other items wrapped either in a newspaper or in her own cloth bags.

“I use the latter for bulk purchases; for instance, if the amount of rice exceeds 5 kilos, I use cloth bags,” she says.

Plastic bottles are rare visitors to her house. Once a plastic bottle has outlived its use, she tosses it into her bin of non-recyclable waste.

“I reuse glass bottles for jam and pickle. Besides, I carry my own bottle wherever I go. When I run out of water, I fill it up again at restaurants,” she says.

A religious practitioner of source segregation, Renu puts her kitchen waste into a small bin, while a bigger bin takes all non-biodegradable waste, including dog hairball.

“I particularly ensure that all plastic items, including milk packets, are given away, as these can be broken into smaller compounds to make furniture, like a chair or a bench,” she adds.

Talking point

Renu plans to gradually to turn the platform into a talking point for other civic issues, including water and women’s rights.

To join the conversation, visit www.facebook.com/thedialogueforsociety/