A public survey campaign named – ‘Hello Present, I am your past, let’s talk future’ was conducted on 31st January 2021. This was a public perception survey on plastic. We, a team of 9 members interacted with almost 80 individuals. The team was spread out in the areas of Hill road and Bandstand in Bandra and were individually talking to the local people regarding the issue.Localities supported us by giving their feedback. We tried to understand public opinion on plastic by making them fill the Google forms which emphasized the daily usage of plastic and the consequences of the same.
Every day, tonnes of plastic is being disposed in the environment. The global climate has gone through extreme challenges and transitions over the last few decades. In the physical and biological operations of our air, land, and water, pollution is an undesirable shift. This is harmful to human life, in the sense of living conditions, local cultures and our material resources are deteriorating. Not only does the litter ruin the environment, but it is also poisonous to the natural ecosystem, including humans and wildlife. In addition, debris thrown into marine bodies can last a very long time, impacting marine life for years to come.
Our aim was to seek to improve the overall cleanliness of the region, campaigning to raise awareness among different sections of society on environmental issues,volunteering and asking the public about their general idea and knowledge of SUPs (Single use plastics). The survey was carried out in Bandra, Mumbai. We’re not going to deny that most people used clothing bags instead of plastic bags in their everyday lives. Plastic is not only available in the form of bags but also comes in other ways and the some of the localites finds it efficient to use because it is efficient and cost-effective.This was a very good opportunity to understand the mentality of people. We got to know their views and opinions about plastics.
Many individuals were already aware of advantages and disadvantages of plastics. They also had a specific view on advantages and disadvantages of plastics. Many of them are aware of SUPs(Single Use Plastics) as well as their pros and cons, but some of them weren’t. After getting aware of those pros and cons individuals wanted to reduce the use of plastics. Also they were interested in replacing and finding alternatives to the same.
Vendors, are keen to find substitutes to plastics. Many of them knew about the paper bag as a substitute for plastic but many of them were finding it difficult to get them or weren’t aware about how to make one. Some of them were quite responsive and vocal about the issue and had a strong opinion on the usage of plastic. While some of them were hardly aware about the gravity of this situation.
CONCLUSION
We volunteers have been trying to raise awareness about SUPs and the plastic alternatives that exist. There is wood and many more materials in this world before plastic existed. For 1000 years, plastic can’t be decomposed. There are 6g to 8g of micro plastic in humans. Many people were reluctant to talk about the issue while some not even agreed to fill the form or talk about the issue. It was a wonderful day for the team and a great experience for each one of us.
