Degrading our planet, one nanoparticle at a time
This year, India and the United Nations (UN) are jointly hosting the global World Environment Day celebrations, with ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ as the central theme. There is no reason to celebrate, really. Recently there was alarming news of how we are ingesting plastic nanoparticles in the food that makes it to our tables. It’s time to fix the problem but where do we even begin?
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
Thermocol plates, discarded by a passersby after a free meal at a bhandara (religious food offering) float about in the Ganga river. Strewn garbage - entwined with plastic that collect around nooks and corners of public spaces, a no-mans land - are so common a sight now that we accept it as an inevitable part of our landscape. A Central Pollution Control Board data shows that India generates around 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day, and 90 percent of it isn't recycled. Waste pickers are bearing the brunt, unable to send plastic for recycling as there’s no segregation of waste at household level.
