Plastic use has increased considerably throughout the world in the last few decades. It is widely used especially in packing of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) products such as biscuits, chocolates, raw food materials, noodles, spices, juices among others. Big sheets of plastics are also used in packing clothes, mattresses, books, suitcase wrappings at airports and carry bags. The current Covid-19 pandemic has also created another product-disposable mask, which also needs to be taken care of after use. The menace of this plastic waste has been increasing yet such ends up in landfills, clogging of sewerage systems and water bodies. This is damaging aquatic life, affecting agriculture, the food chain and the environment. For this reason, two students, Anoushka Goyal and Kshitij Goyal came up with the idea of collecting such waste at the household level with a purpose of safeguarding the environment. This inspiration came after watching a documentary on YouTube that exposed slums with choked drainages and landfills with scattered plastic wraps, they say. Anoushka, a grade 12 student at Green Hills Academy, and Kshitij a grade 11 student at Well Spring Academy, say this inspired them to think of an initiative that would help conserve the environment. What they do, is collect the plastic wraps off packed food items such as noodles, biscuits, chocolates among others. Modified use Although this is not a long-lasting solution, the siblings anticipate for it to somehow make an impact. “We started by collecting these plastics around our home and segregated them in paper bags. Although this wasn’t a permanent solution, because the collected stuff ended up escaping from paper bags, we opted to pack them in plastic bottles of water and juice, from where it was difficult to escape,” says Anoushka. The students also cut these plastics in small pieces and then pack them densely inside the bottles. These bottles are then put to use, for instance in gardens. “Such bottles can be packed by everyone at home and it takes only a few seconds every day. Densely packed bottles can also be used to make ground boundaries in gardens,” says Kshitij. He goes on to explain that these bottles can also be used as eco-bricks to make eco-walls in the parts of houses or gardens that do not need usage of very strong materials. “I believe effort from each one of us, however small, can lead a long way to take care of our valuable environment,” he adds. Environmental care is everyone’s duty yet not all are aware of its effects. Care of the environment is an integral part of Rwanda’s ethos and can be widely seen in its clean towns and cities. The country has made it illegal to import, produce, use or sell plastic bags. There are also garbage collection bins installed in different places on roads to be used by residents.
