The ocean is said to be Earth’s life support, with 97% of the world’s water held by the ocean. We rely on it to regulate our climate, absorb CO2 and it is the number one source for protein for over a billion people.
Yearly, up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans. It escapes from landfill sites, floats down our drains, ends up in rivers and makes its way into our oceans.
We are all well aware of the dire state of plastic pollution happening in our oceans and how plastic is now the number one enemy of everyone.
Besides Ocean pollution, there are many other problems observed in India by Plastic Pollution :
- Sacred Cow eat and die
- Urban Flooding
- River pollution
Animals consuming plastic can starve to death as the plastic fills their stomach preventing them from eating proper food, rupturing their organs or blocking food from traveling to the intestine. In one of the case , a team of veterinarians in Tamil Nadu have removed 52 kilograms of plastic from the stomach of a cow. The plastic was removed through a surgery which lasted for over five hours in Vepery, Chennai. The waste in the cow’s stomach also included needles, coin, a screw and pins .
Above information is shared with students of DPS (Delhi Public School) Rohini, New Delhi thru online webinar on 10th Dec 2021 by Rise Foundation team members Madhukar Varshney and Munish Kundra. More than 750 students joined the webinar.
So, we told them, there is a way to reduce the amount of plastic being thrown into the ocean? Plus, they can actually do it from the comfort of your home and it requires only 2 minutes of your time?
What exactly is this magical method that holds the potential of solving the top global problem now?
Well, the answer is – an Ecobrick! Here is the basic information you need to know about these magical building blocks.
What is an Ecobrick?
An Ecobrick is essentially a reusable building block created by solid non-biodegradable waste placed into a plastic bottle to a set density.
By packing the bottles with a set density, it makes them suitable building blocks for virtually any construction. They can also be packed with other non-biological un-recyclables that, uncontained, are toxic to the environment (i.e. styrofoam, wires, small batteries, etc.).
Ecobricks are a sustainable way to reuse non-biodegradable plastic waste as plastic waste is regarded as a long-lasting and durable material. Hence, keeping plastic out of the ecosystem and prevents the contamination of the environment.
Ecobricks are used to make many things such as furniture, walls and buildings. It allows communities and companies to get control of their plastic waste to create modular furniture, garden spaces, walls and even full-scale buildings.
How does it help the environment?
- EcoBricks prevent plastic waste from disrupting the ecosystem: Usually, when thrown away, plastic breaks down into tiny pieces and contaminates the area where it is. EcoBricks arrest and seal the plastic away preventing the buildup of toxic gases emitted during the degradation of the plastic, such as methane when it reached to landfill and react with other waste.
PET bottles are perfect for sealing away the plastic because they have an incredible longevity and protect the contents from UV rays.
- Ecobricking raises ecological consciousness: We often do not think about the afterlife of our discarded plastic bottles. Ecobricking addresses our short-sightedness, as making Ecobricks demands time and dedication, it leads to questions on the uses of plastic.
- Ecobricks are a low energy solution to plastic: Recycling isn’t necessarily the best solution since the facilities demand technology, funds and a substantial amount of human energy. It also involves transportation and the waste can travel around the world before reaching its destination only to end up in a saturated recycling plant.
EcoBricks don’t require all that fuss, with anyone having the ability to make their own Ecobricks. It is a simple solution to a complex problem which can be applied anywhere by everyone.
Students took the pledge to make ecobricks and help us to fight with Plastic pollution.
About DPS Rohini : Delhi Public School Rohini is a school located in Rohini, New Delhi, Delhi, India. The school was established on 3 July 1995 under the aegis of the Delhi Public School Society. AIM of DPS
” Education does not commence with the alphabet. It begins with a mother’s look, with a father’s nod of appreciation or a sign of reproof, with a sister’s gentle pressure of the hand, or a brother’s noble act, with meadows, with birds’ nests admired, but not touched, with creeping ants, and almost imperceptible elements with humming bees and beehives, with pleasant walks in shady lanes and with thoughts directed in sweet and kindly tones and words to nature, to beauty, to acts benevolent, to deeds of virtue and to the source of all-to God himself.”
For more info, reach https://dpsrohini.com/
Ref : https://www.condorferries.co.uk/plastic-in-the-ocean-statistics
RISE Foundation (NGO) 