We cleaned a huge dump of plastic this weekend

Hey Guys!

Remember we told you about our clean-up yatra? Something new that we started and how it's different?

If you don't remember it here's the link to my previous post

I shall tell you the result first!

The cleanup of Yatra was a success and a failure in many ways.

Success why?

• Even if it was 30° and 103kms away for most of us we showed up to pick up trash that we are not responsible for.
• We evaluated what was causing the major plastic dump and we found out that 10-20% of the plastic came from sugarcane juice stalls so we warned him and told him to replace them with paper cups and keep make sure his customers dispose of them correctly.
• We cleaned up 15-20% of the mess
• We encouraged new people to start hiking and met loads of other travelers who loved what we did and many kids saw what we did on the ground so things cause ripples you know? (People in India barely conduct clean up drives and hence the trash)
• We got to know that many vendors burn their plastic trash as they didn't know who to call to pick up the everyday trash in the place that's in the middle of nowhere. We gave them a good warning and also gave them the contact details of authorities so they can contact them in case of the plastic piles up again.

It was a failure too, but why?

• A hill is a huge place and we didn't know how much plastic was around, we had expected a number but it was at least 10x more and we did not have enough time nor resources to finish all of it.

What to do next?

• We are looking for sponsors to make metal signboards that would say do not litter if caught will be prosecuted with a fine of 500INR that would go to the temple maintenance and 5 trash cans. This would cost 25,000INR. If you know anyone who wishes to donate for this cause or you wish to do it yourself ping me and I will give you all proof required if you think ill take your money and run you can openly condemn me, besides this, I don't what to give you.

• We are requesting the temple and govt authorities and the gram panchayat to make strict rules on entering the premises with plastic

• We are also requesting the govt to send in 3 people to always stay on guard and keep watch.

But do you know what surprised me this Yatra the most ?

For my observation, 85% of the plastic dumps are caused by the disposal of fast-food wrappers. 15% by alcohol consumers. For all the fingers point at drinkers, the irony is funny is.
I know it’s become hard to avoid eating junk these days, it’s bad for our bodies we know that, but guess what even the packaging is terrible, there are no bio-degradable plastics used by 99% of companies. So if decide to kill yourselves with junk food that’s your choice, don’t drag the footprint of death with you. Carry your trash. If you can afford to buy them, you definitely can afford to clean your own shit. Stop littering as it’s high time, know that you are not a kid and you don’t need to be told these things, if you know how to eat, you should also learn how to clean too. Pick up your own trash so that we can stop shouting at you and deal with better things!

When we founded @rishikafoundationthere were just a couple of activities but today opening our eyes to the horrors of the place we call home, we have decided to not let go of anything, if you need our help we are there, we shall try everything in our power to make it happen. We might not be big but one day I am sure more will follow and understand that we ourselves can be the only ones to fix our problems. We at @rishikafoundation are happy to collaborate with anyone who’s willing to join hands with us and do good for society.

Don’t hesitate to join us, we are building a good home for our future generations. I don’t want to tell my grandkids that I stood doing nothing but I watched the world burn! 🔥🌏