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As an Individual, What have You done to Turn the World into a Better Place? #WATWB

By 28/07/2017July 29th, 2017Blog Fest, We are the World

We are the World BlogfestWe are the World Blogfest is here with its fifth edition.

To spread peace and humanity on social media, a few of us have worked together to create the We are the World Blogfest. In a world where news and social media are awash with negativity, we aim to turn the focus on to small but significant stories that renew our faith in humanity.

The cohosts for the June 2017 WATWB are:

Sylvia Stein, Simon Falk, Roshan Radhakrishnan, Inderpreet Uppal  and yours truly, moi.
——-

Recycle plastic

In the spirit of “In Darkness, Be Light,” I’d like to share the story of two women who decided they’d find an effective, non-polluting way to recycle plastic into bio-fuel, and managed to invent and run a machine that does just that.

Recycling is the norm in most developed countries, but in India, it is a relatively new concept, and for individuals to spearhead this movement to recycle plastic is nothing short of radical.

“It all started in 2009 when Medha and Shirish N. Phadtare, the co-founder of Rudra, visited Thane in Maharashtra. They saw the carcasses of a couple of deer that had lost their lives after eating plastic bags.

“It was really heartbreaking to see that defenceless animals had died just because of some litter that we unthinkingly threw away. We came back home thinking something should be done about the situation. But it was only after a few months that we thought: Why don’t we do something? Why should we always wait for someone else to take the initiative?” asks Medha.
The duo began thinking of ways in which plastic bags could be recycled, literally beginning with putting them in a pressure cooker to see what happened. Since their backgrounds were in law and marketing, they had no technical knowledge in this field.

So these two women started from boiling plastic in a pressure cooker, and worked their way up a to an efficient, self-fueling machine, and process:

For every 100 kg of plastic, 45-65 litres of fuel is generated. Twenty percent of the input is converted into gas, leaving behind water and sludge. The sludge is rich in polymer and can be reused with bitumen to make roads. The team gives it to local builders who use it for the construction of internal roads within housing societies. In this way, 100% of the plastic waste is recycled with no emission and no harm to the environment.

These ladies decided to take the initiative: the Indian government is yet to start something like this on a wide scale. If a machine like this were made more widely available in developing countries, it could go a long way in curbing the tonnes of plastic that enter our oceans and from there into the food chain.

Why recycle, and get rid of plastic? Because a conclusive study reveals that plastic is irreversibly damaging all parts of our planet.

Humans have made enough plastic since the second world war to coat the Earth entirely in clingfilm, an international study has revealed. This ability to plaster the planet in plastic is alarming, say scientists – for it confirms that human activities are now having a pernicious impact on our world.

We are the caretakers of our earth. Time we began to act like it, reuse and recycle, unless we want our children to inherit a desert, and our grandchildren to curse us for ruining their existence..

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If you found these pieces of news heartening and would like to take part in this blogfest, sign up in the WE ARE THE WORLD Blogfest Linky List below and please help spread the word on social media via the hashtag #WATWB.

~~~GUIDELINES~~~

  1. Keep your post to below 500 words.
  2. All we ask is you link to a human news story on your blog on the last Friday of each month, one that shows love and humanity.
  3. Join us in sharing news that warms the cockles of our heart. No story is too big or small, as long as it goes beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.
  4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD BLOGFEST Badge on your sidebar, and help us spread the word on social media. Tweets, Facebook shares, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. More We Are the World Blogfest signups mean more friends, love and light for all of us.
  5. We’ll read and comment on each others’ posts, get to know each other better, and hopefully, make or renew some friendships with everyone who signs on as participants in the coming months.
  6. Add your post HERE so we can all find them very easily.

#WATWB also wants to link to charities supported by the co-hosts, and you could choose to donate to some of them or add links to local charities you support. Here’s the organization I’ve come to love and support: PROJECT WHY— and here’s one of my previous posts on the work they do. Feel free to send them a little of your help– every little bit counts.

 Throughout the July Blogfest and until the August Blogfest, the We are The World Blogfest Community Page on Facebook will continue to show links to the various blog posts. So you don’t have to hurry through. You can always enjoy one a day. Like the page and share your posts on the thread for the purpose.

How do you recycle your plastic waste? What piece of positive news have you read lately– would you like to talk about it in the comments, or make a post of your own? Have you signed up for We are the World Blogfest? If not, please consider it: it is just a link to a positive post, once a month, and we’re fine with combining it with your regular posts!We Are the World Blogfest

Please join Daily (w)rite on its Facebook Page in case you’d like to be heard by this community. If you liked this post, you can have biweekly posts delivered to your inbox: click the SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL button. (Feel free to share this post if you like it. You’ll find icons to re-blog it via WordPress and Blogger to the left of this post.)

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Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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35 Comments

  • Christy B says:

    The example you provide here reminds us that we CAN make a difference! I’ll be including this post in my inspirational roundup post on Friday 🙂

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Yes, we can, and some of us do. Thanks for including my post– I do hope you’d consider joining the WATWB– it is pretty relaxed, and there are dozens of wonderful stories to read each month.

  • Inderpreet says:

    Cover the earth in clingfilm!! That is scary indeed. I have heard of the plastic being used for roads. We need to take it across nations and extensively recycle plastic.
    Thank you so much! In Darkness, Be Light. Team #WATWB
    *Inderpreet/EloquentArticulation*

  • California’s put a screeching slow down to plastic bags and groceries. Now, they charge for them. I remember when they hailed plastic as the solution to paper bags. Sigh.

  • This is an excellent example of where there’s a will there’s a way. Making use of waste is, as you rightly pointed out, a new thing in India and not many take up the initiative to do it because of lack of manpower, resources and infrastructure. But these ladies have taught us how you can do it even in the face of odds. Thank you for sharing this with us.

  • John Maberry says:

    Something that should get “recycled” (reblogged) for Earth Day in 2018 (April 22nd)! Schedule it now to make sure it happens. 🙂

  • Nick Wilford says:

    Excellent that two ordinary people took the initiative to do something positive when the government wouldn’t. Maybe some of the plastic could be used to repair roads too. Many of those in developing countries are in a terrible condition.

  • shanayatales says:

    Wow! These ladies are truly inspirational. Thanks for sharing their story with us.

  • Vinitha says:

    Plastic has become an inevitable threat to Earth. More power to Medha and Shirish. This is such an inspiring story. Thanks for sharing.

  • Medha and Shrish are doing such a good work and time to protect our planets but also animals. Our world is in such a pity state and I get very angry the way we treat our animals. I remember I did an interview with two Delhi based girls who protected cows eating so much garbage on the streets and skit were performed to raise awareness among the people. We need to do small actions to bring a change.

  • Thanks for this wonderful story Damyanti! I am going to share it around with some friends in Ecuador and see if anyone is interested in doing something similar here. We see animals die from ingesting plastic far too often.

    Emily | My Life In Ecuador | Orphanage Teens Learn to Express Themselves Through DJing #WATWB

  • Plastic is a big problem. We have banned plastic bags in stores here in California. We really need to find ways to break it down like these ladies did.

  • Sadly, we seem to live in a disposable world. This story is fantastic, what an amazing initiative! Thanks so much for sharing this! #WATWB

  • Ally Bean says:

    What a wonswerful idea. I’m impressed with the practicality of it. Great news story to add to #WATWB.

  • franklparker says:

    It’s great that these two ladies have done this. But unfortunately they are reinventing the wheel. http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/irish-pioneering-waste-fuel-technique-181053.html
    Perhaps I shouldn’t mention this as it is bringing a little negativity to a place dedicated to positivity, but people who live near this plant have claimed that its emissions are toxic. Let’s hope those ladies have developed a cleaner system.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      These machines,so far as I can ascertain, run on the fumes produced in the process, so there are no noxious emissions. Poorer countries often have to reinvent the wheel because the richer ones shift their manufacturing units to these developing nations. Let us hope the developing nations do not make the mistake of going for unchecked development without sustainability or conscience.

  • Shilpa Garg says:

    Wow! The duo made this happen without any technical know how!! Goes on to show that if you have a reason and passion to do something, you do succeed. More power to Medha and Shirish! Thanks for sharing their inspiring story, Damyanti!

  • dgkaye says:

    What a wonderful idea, There is still so much goodness in the world. So inspiring! 🙂 x

  • Stories like this are so exciting to me – demonstrating that individuals with inspiration and commitment can make a tremendous difference. Kudos to them. The plastic bag problem is huge and finding ways to lessen the overwhelming negative impact on our environment takes vision and thinking outside the box. Thanks for sharing this story – and for co-hosting.

  • bikerchick57 says:

    Just yesterday, I cleaned out a bunch of plastic bags at work that are destined for recycling. The bags are never-ending, even when I try to use my own shopping bags. It is wonderful what these two women are doing. If the plastic bags can be used to resurface the roads, think of how that can be used worldwide. There is road construction every summer here and I think of how this might save materials and cost and the planet.

  • hilarymb says:

    Hi Damyanti – how amazingly perceptive Medha and Shirish are – and inventive in carrying through with their ideas … brilliant. Plastic is definitely something we sadly don’t want on the earth … or in the oceans. This local initiative helps others and I would hope inspire others to continue on … thanks for letting us know about them – cheers Hilary

  • Peter Nena says:

    Extraordinary people! Thank you for sharing this story.

  • This sounds revolutionary. Plastic being recycled 100percent is no less than a blessing. I am reading this in detail.

  • Great story Damyanti! It was a good read – reminds me of an initiative I saw in university.

  • Plastic bags are really ruining the environment and unfortunately a large chunk of the Indian population have no clue about the damage they do to the environment. Everyday I see so many people throwing religious offerings with the plastic bags in the creek and that just angers me so much. I am so glad to read that there are people who are working towards the betterment of the environment and of the world at large.

  • Shalini says:

    Wow… That’s such an enterprising duo and hats off to them for doing auch brilliant work.

  • Miss Andi says:

    That’s amazing! Love inventions like this, and there’s so many ways to use plastic, I can’t believe we’re still throwing them away ?
    Thanks for sharing this Damyanti!

  • Susan Scott says:

    Great story Damyanti thanks for sharing it! Good on those gals for starting the initiative themselves!

  • We’ve built our Swapit mobile app to reduce waste and encourage re-cycling / up-cycling of existing products.

  • Lynn says:

    Amazing what people can do when they put their minds to a problem. Thanks for sharing this and for being a part of #WATWB

  • Wow !!! This is really a very intellectual step by them, it will leave a better effect on our environment if performed in wide scale, wish them a a best of luck.

  • BellyBytes says:

    That’s an amazing initiative. I reuse old plastic in the house and then dispose it off at the raddiwallah

  • simonfalk28 says:

    Good for those ladies. I hope their work blossoms. It can be a challenge for some of our smaller communities to develop sustainable infrastructure for recycling. Let’s hope it gets easier as it is essential. Thanks for you post and everything 🙂 Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB