New Delhi: C Narayana Reddy, a district collector from Mulugu in Telangana has achieved a rare feat in his fight to curb the use of single-use plastic. Reddy had launched a unique scheme recently, wherein people were encouraged to give up 1 kg plastic and get 1 kg rice instead.
Open to 174 villages, the scheme has resulted in 44,484 kg plastic being collected from October 16 to 26. “We started a small competition among school children and saw that kids collected 99 plastic bottles. Based on this, we started this movement. We saw tremendous response to this initiative. People, in fact, spent the entire day collecting plastic waste. They submitted it to our collection centre. We would collect these through an agency and recycle the plastic waste,” Reddy told News18.
To pay for the rice, the government officers made a contribution of Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. As word spread, money started pouring in from traders and NRIs, some of whom contributed Rs 1 lakh.
Inspired by Reddy, the collect of the neighbouring district, Kama Reddy, also launched a similar scheme, giving half a dozen eggs in return for 2 kg plastic waste.
Reddy now wants to make this a national movement. “Why not? Pollution caused by single-use plastic plagues all and can reach dangerous levels if not checked,” he said.
On Monday, Reddy made a detailed presentation before the Standing Committee for Subordinate Legislation upon the invitation of Chairman Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a YSRCP MP.
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