Tag: Recycle

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

 

 

 

Socially Conscious Corporate

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives, Tamil Nadu Plastic Ban

Our world is full of problems. Most people complain about the problems and just move on without ever doing anything to fix the problems. Sharon Ply thinks differently and gets down to making a difference through dedicated action. #iSayNoToPlastic is an initiative that Sharon Ply cares deeply about and we have undertaken several activities to address the growing problem of #PlasticPollution. Here is a short video compilation of some of the major activities undertaken by Sharon Ply in the recent months to take the message of #iSayNoToPlastic to the public.

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.

Plastic-Free Shopping Bag distribution at Kovai Pazhamudhir Nilayam, Chennai

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives
Sharon Plywoods is committed to the cause of eliminating single-use plastic and, in this regard, have been undertaking various initiatives for spreading awareness. With the recent ban on single-use plastic in TN, people have been looking for alternatives for the ubiquitous material and distribution of the multi-purpose cloth bag form Sharon Plywoods has been a god send for many.
Pazhamudhir Nilayam, the vegetable/grocery chain, joined hands with Sharon Plywoods in distributing these cloth bags to their patrons at various locations across Chennai.
Those who received the bag have been very appreciative of the quality if the bag and its usefulness.

Take the #iSayNoToPlastic pledge and receive the cloth bag at your doorstep (avail this before Jan 15, 2019).
 

 

Sharon Plywoods discourages Single-Use Plastic

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

Saving Zoo Animals from Plastic Pollution

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

People’s propensity to discard plastic bags and other trash indiscriminately has serious consequences for animals everywhere and especially those in captivity. Sights like this can be seen in many zoos in India:

Instances of animals eating plastic bags and having health complications have happened several times. A spotted deer died at the Aringnar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, after eating enormous quantities of plastic which was discovered upon an autopsy. A Hippopotamus was found with a plastic bottle stuck in its teeth.

One of the common reasons cited by people for throwing trash everywhere has been that they do not have a bag to collect and throw the trash in a trash can. In order to make it easy for visitors to discard trash responsibly and to save the animals , Sharon Plywoods has been distributing paper bags at the entrance to the Aringnar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, for the past several years. Thousands of such bags have been distributed over the years and this has had a visible impact on the cleanliness of the zoo.

Sharon discourages single-use plastic and undertakes several social responsibility projects to create awareness about this and to encourage the habit of responsible plastic usage.

 

Multi use bags giveaway in Airport By Sharonply

#isaynotoplastic campaign takes off at the Chennai Airport

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

Over half of the 300 million tonnes of plastic produced in the world, every year is discarded after a single-use. This creates an enormous environmental impact by getting into our drains and waterways, rivers and oceans.

To raise awareness about this menace and to discourage use of single-use plastic, Sharon Plywoods, in association with the Airports Authority of India, conducted a campaign at the Chennai Airport on Sunday 4th November 2018. They distributed gift hampers consisting of plastic-free grocery shopping bags, biodegradable cutlery, and clay diyas to 1000 passengers to arrive on the day. These shopping bags, with pockets to sort purchases, are environmentally friendly alternatives to the thin plastic covers and carry bags which get discarded after a single-use. Another 5000 passengers received cloth tote bags that could be used for shopping or storage.

Mr. P K Srivastava, General Manager (OPS), and Mr. Nanda Kumar – DGM (OPS), Airports Authority of India, Chennai, inaugurated the campaign. The activity was received with enthusiasm by the travellers. This is what one of the passengers, Mr. Krishnan, had to say – “It was a pleasant surprise to receive this gift from Sharon Plywoods. Although we know about the dangers of plastic usage, never really gave a thought about taking a reusable shopping bag. Will certainly start using this bag from now on”.

 

 

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Plastic free bag for School kids by Sharonply

Teaching children to avoid Single-Use Plastic

by sharonply, posted in Sharon Initiatives

On the auspicious day of Vijayadasami (Oct 19, 2018), 1650 students of Madanlal Khemani Vivekananda Vidyalaya, Gummidipundi, were given Plastic Free School Bag Kits. This Plastic Free School Bag Kit contained a steel lunch box, a steel water bottle, a steel spoon and a steel fork. This was a small effort to inculcate the habit of choosing non-plastic items in their everyday lives.

Though plastic is a wonderful material that has made our lives easier, the irresponsible use and disposal has created a monster of a problem that affects the environment and our lives. The world is currently producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year. Half of this plastic is used only once.

SHARON PLYWOODS also distributed colourful non-plastic reusable shopping bags among the teachers of the school. This shopping bag is an environmental friendly alternative to the rather dangerous plastic covers and carry bags which are probably used only once. These bags come with pockets to sort the purchases.

Being a plywood company, there is this common belief that we cut down trees. In fact, the use of SHARON PLYWOODS’ products brings down the use of prime wood in interiors and furniture. SHARON PLYWOODS saves upto 95% Prime Wood.

Sharon Plywoods through many such environmentally responsible initiatives have been setting an example of a socially responsible corporate citizen that many other corporates can emulate.

SHARON PLYWOODS discourages Single Use Plastic.