Tag: plastic pollution

Sporting way to say no to plastic

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

Who says cricket is all about entertainment? Since the launch of T20 cricket in 2008, the game has earned the mega-entertainment tag and has inspired several other Premier Leagues for sports, one of them being TNPL. Sharon Ply is TNPL2019 Strength Partner and the company has used this occasion to spread awareness about caring for the environment.

Sharon Ply has put in place one plastic-bottle-shredding each at both the TNPL venues in Dindigul and Tirunelveli. It is to be noted that Sharon Ply has installed these machines at other venues too, earlier this year. Boards have been placed near the Shredding machines to encourage the public to drop PET bottles into the machine. Those who do so are also rewarded with a tree sapling – two birds in one stone.

Sharon Ply uses every opportunity at publicity to also raise awareness about environmental issues. When the company got on board as one of the event sponsors for TNPL, the idea of having this machine at the district venues was mooted to Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. It’s at such places that initiatives like these can be implemented to good effect and TNPL agreed to follow through with the eco-friendly plan.

The crowd in Dindigul and Tirunelveli have warmed up to this idea, with many  from the audience flocking to the machine on match-days. The shredder machines offer novelty factor and this draws more people to it. After the TNPL, Sharon Ply plans to locate these machines at public places.

Sharon Ply has also ensured that all the promotional material they distribute at the venues are eco-friendly. The company hopes to distribute around 2000 tree saplings by the end of the TNPL season.

 

 

How much Plastic do Humans consume?

by sharonply, posted in Eco Friendly Info

How much Plastic do humans consume?

If you thought that was an odd question, you’d be surprised to learn that an average human consumes the equivalent of one credit card per week!

One third of all plastic the world produces ends up in our oceans polluting the seas and affecting the poor marine animals that end up eating these. Of particular concern are the micro-plastic particles that plague our oceans which is consumed by fish. This fish, when eaten by humans, end up in our system. The medical world is yet to fully understand the health consequences this has on our bodies.

Researchers estimate (source: https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/credit-card-plastic-04323/)  that people who eat Mussels might end up consuming 11,000 micro-plastic particles a year. And if you thought vegetarians are free from this risk, think again. Even sea-salt has micro-plastic and 1 kilogram of sea-salt could have 600 micro-plastic particles in it.

In all, scientists estimate that humans might be consuming 50,000 micro-plastic pieces  every year. It is upon us to act immediately to eliminate single-use plastic and micro plastic from our lives in order to save ourselves, if not the environment.

India Pledges to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic by 2025

by sharonply, posted in Eco Friendly Info

India consumes an estimated 16.5 million tonnes (1.6 million truckfull) of plastic annually according to a June 2018 report by PlastIndia Foundation.  43% of this is single-use packaging material which mostly end up in garbage heaps since only 20% of Plastic produced annually is recycled. It is now common knowledge that this plastic waste ends up clogging our waterways harming marine life and also pollutes our soil by leaching poisonous toxins.

At the UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly) held in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2019, India piloted a resolution on phasing out single-use plastic by 2025. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had said

“The choices that we make today will define our collective future. The choices may not be easy. But through awareness, technology, and a genuine global partnership, I am sure we can make the right choices. Let us all join together to beat plastic pollution and make this planet a better place to live.”

In tandem with this, India has unveiled a campaign to tackle plastic pollution along its 4,660 miles of coastline and will seek to make 100 national monuments litter-free.

On this World Environment Day, it is upon each of us to ensure that material prosperity does not compromise our environment. Reducing usage, reusing materials and recycling disposables are imperative diktats that each one of us has to adhere, in order to make the 2025 deadline of eliminating plastic a reality.

Plastic Pollution – How bad is it?

by sharonply, posted in Eco Friendly Info

Plastic pollution is caused due to the accumulation of the waste plastic material in the environment. Plastic is a non-biodegradable substance. It doesn’t get disposed off in the soil or water and its effect is worse when burnt. It is thus a challenge to dispose it off. It remains in the environment for hundreds of years and causes air, water and land pollution. It is hazardous for the humans, animals as well as the plants. Several animals, birds and marine creatures die due to plastic pollution each year.

Plastic plates, bags, spoons, glasses and other material are readily available in the market. These are economical and easy to use. We all prefer using these use-and-throw utensils during gatherings and parties as it removes the hassle of clearing and cleaning the utensils later. All we need to do is to gather these and throw them away. However, little do we realize that this waste does not go away completely. It continues to remain in the environment and harm us in the long run.

Here are few facts that explain the amount plastic pollution we have caused this environment:

Every year enough is thrown away to circle the world 4 times.

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There will be more plastic waste than fish in the ocean by 2050

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Think before you drink.

Only 10% of water bottles are recycled. The other 90% wind up in landfills or oceans. Carry your own bottle or make sure you recycle

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Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year

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Ways to Beat Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution, caused due to plastic waste, has reached alarming heights and is increasing rapidly with every passing day. It has become a cause of global concern as it is destroying our beautiful planet and having negative repercussions on all kinds of living beings.

Here are two simple ways to lower plastic pollution that we can practice in our daily life:

Avoid Usage/ Look for Alternatives

The first and the most important step towards beating plastic pollution is to avoid the usage of plastic products.

Now, since we have grown quite accustomed to using plastic products and these are light on our pocket, we cannot avoid their usage completely. However, we can certainly avoid using those plastic products that can easily be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives. For instance, instead of using plastic bags, we can easily opt for a jute, cloth or paper bag when we head for shopping.  Likewise, instead of using disposable plastic cutlery and utensils during parties we can use those made of steel, paper or any other material which is reusable or easy to dispose.

Reuse

If you cannot avoid using plastic bags or other products for some reason then it is suggested to at least reuse them as many times as you can before disposing them off. We are in a habit of throwing the plastic bags and containers we get with packed food almost immediately after use even though these can be used a couple of times before disposing off. We should reuse these instead. This can be our contribution towards reducing the plastic waste and bringing down plastic pollution.

It is time for us to stand united to fight this evil called plastic pollution. If each one of us follows the ways to beat plastic pollution shared here then we can certainly bring down the pollution level to a large extent

 

 

 

Reverse Vending Machine installed at EA Mall, Chennai

by sharonply, posted in Eco Friendly Info, Sharon Initiatives

The world consumes nearly 1/2 trillion PET Bottles every year, with a million Plastic Bottles bought around the world every minute! Placed end to end vertically, the bottles we discard will reach half way to the sun! PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is a highly recyclable material. Yet only 50% of the bottles are collected, of which, only 7% end up being recycled into new bottles.

In order to encourage the public to start “recycling”, Sharon Ply has installed a REVERSE VENDING MACHINE at Express Avenue Mall, Royapettah, Chennai. This machine will accept PET bottles and cans and, in return, give coupons that can be redeemed at select food outlets and stores. The machine has a slot for people to drop their empty water bottles or cola cans. The machine will return coupons for the dropped PET bottles/cans which can be redeemed in the respective outlets mentioned in coupon. This machine crushes the collected PET bottles/cans which is gathered and sent to Recycling units.

This machine is one of the first of its kind to be installed in Chennai. The inauguration was done by Mr. D. Sekar – Member Secretary, TNPCB, on 27th February, 2019 at 08.00 pm. The event was also attended by Mr. Vishnu Khemani, Managing Director – Sharon Ply and Mr. G. Dinakaran, DGM, EA Mall.

The machines are manufactured by M/s. Zeleno Pvt. Ltd., Delhi. Installing these machines at public places with lot of traffic is sure to highlight the need for recycling. Since the effort taken to recycle is rewarded with coupons, Sharon Ply hopes that Tamil Nadu soon becomes a leader in plastic recycling.

R.I.P Mr. Single Use Plastic

by sharonply, posted in Tamil Nadu Plastic Ban

It is with great happiness we announce the death of SUPB (Single Use Plastic Bag) on January 1st, 2019 in Tamil Nadu. He was an inseparable part of our daily lives. Though immortal in nature, we bid him farewell because we were all irresponsible in his disposal and he found his way into the environment, polluting and poisoning it. He is survived by our children’s children, marine animals and the rivers and oceans of the earth.

May his soul biodegrade in peace.

 Kindly post your farewell messages below in the comments section.

Decomposition rates of Single-Use Plastic

by sharonply, posted in Eco Friendly Info
Other than the obvious threat posed by plastic to marine life and city dwellers, plastic waste also occupies a lot of space in landfills since they take several years to decompose, if at all. They also leech harmful chemicals into the environment while breaking down and cause severe damage to water and soil during the decomposition process. Here is a look at how long everyday single-use plastic items take to decompose to get a sense of how much harm we are causing by using them.
Plastic has been the most useful material invented by mankind that has made several thing possible in everyday life. Plastic is a petroleum based product that does not biodegrade like other organic materials and occupy lot of space in our landfills.
Although scientists are now claiming certain processes that could biodegrade these materials, replicating those outside of controlled environments in large scale is still not possible, not to mention the unknown side-effects of such new processes. So, until we have a safe way to dispose of plastic, our only choice remains in reducing use, reusing existing materials and recycling waste and all of these involve a conscious decision on our parts to be responsible citizens.
Time taken for Plastic to decompose
Time take for single-use plastic to decompose

Star Students in Chennai take the pledge against Plastic Pollution

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

Star students Award 2018, held on 9th Dec 2018 at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Chennai was proudly sponsored by Sharon Plywoods in an effort to reach out to students and create awareness about #PlasticPollution.

*Plastic-Free School bag kits were given to all student award winners and the teachers and School Principals were all given the multi-purpose Shopping Bags. The award itself was given in recognition of multiple talents exhibited by school children.

All the students and the education fraternity present at the event took the pledge #iSayNoToPlastic along with Sharon Plywoods.

The awards ceremony was organized by Dream Concepts to recognize talent in young students and to inculcate in them the right spirit of competition and winning. The event was presided over by Rotarian P.D. Sriram (President, Rotary Club of Madras Downtown) and the guest of  honour was Dr. V. Ponraj (Scientific Advisor to former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam). 

The theme of the event was “Say No to One-Time Plastic” and the students were given information regarding the dangers of Plastic Pollution and encouraged to do their bit to save our environment.

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#iSayNoToPlastic at Committed Consumers Event

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) is an all-India Consumer Movement started in September 1974, having branches in 36 States with 538 consumer awakening centres in 187 Districts. They have several victories to their credit in the field of Consumer Rights. ABGP celebrated a “Committed Consumers Meet” on December 2nd, 2018, at Meenakshi College for Women, Chennai. The Hon. Governor of Tamil Nadu, His Excellency Shri. Banwarilal Purohit, presided over the meet and felicitated important members.

Sharon Plywoods was very happy to be part of this Consumers’ meet and utilised this association to raise awareness about the menace of Single-Use Plastic. Over 400 attending delegates were each given a *Plastic-Free multi-purpose shopping bag and were encouraged to stay away from single-use plastic.

Some pictures from the event:

 

 

 

 

Social Media Contest & Giveaway

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives
CONTEST ALERT!!
 
Do your bit for our environment. Take a reusable cloth bag to the store for buying groceries/vegetables. Let us eliminate Single-Use Plastic from our lives.
 
Sharon has been distributing a sturdy reusable cloth bag at various locations in Chennai and it is now time for you to get one too.
 
Post a picture of yourself with a reusable shopping bag on social media and tag us (FB: @SharonPlywoodsOfficial, Twitter/Insta: @SharonPlyIndia). Post your picture with the hashtag #iSayNoToPlastic. Don’t forget to keep the privacy of the post to “Public”.
 
30 lucky posts will receive the Sharon #iSayNoToPlastic multi-purpose shopping bag.
 
Last date for participating: 15 Dec, 2018.
 
#SelfieContest #SocialMediaContest #Giveaways #SavetheOcean #SavetheEarth #PlasticPollution