Mountains to Breathe Easy: Himalayan Cleanup 2024 Set to Tackle Plastic Pollution Head-On!

SHIMLA/DEHRADUN: Our  mountains, which are chocked with trash and junk, await a cleaner future as the Himalayan Cleanup 2024 gears up to combat the scourge of plastic pollution across the  Himalayan states.

From May 25 to June 5, the Himalayan region will witness a monumental effort to restore its natural beauty and ecological balance if one goes by the spirit behind the cleanup campaign. 

This time at  the helm of this ambitious endeavor Ramesh Negi( a superannuated Chief Secretary from Arunachal Pradesh), President  Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI), a civil society group whose vision and leadership over the years is  driving this crusade for a cleaner, greener Himalaya.

Negi has made a fervent  call to action that now  echoes across the peaks, urging all stakeholders—from local municipalities to schools and NGOs and government agencies —to join hands  in this collective mission.

For one thing, Negi has shot off a letter to Chief Secretary Himachal Pradesh Prabodh Saxena urging him to facilitate the IMI for bringing all stakeholders of Himachal on board for making THC a people's movement.

"The Himalayan Cleanup isn't just a cleanup; it's a movement," proclaims Negi.

"It's a chance for us to reflect on our environmental footprint, adopt sustainable lifestyles, and demand better solutions to the plastic crisis."

Plastic pollution now stares at us with all its tooth and claws, infiltrating even the most remote corners of our mountains and almost everywhere on our tiny planet.

The Himalayan Cleanup isn't merely about picking up trash; it's about catalyzing systemic change. 

It is heartening to know that NGOs like SDC Foundation in Dehradun has also taken initiatives in taking the plastic pollution headon.

But we need to make it people's movement to make it a part of our lifestyle to adopt zero tolerance to plastic and bringing the culprits and its primary producers to justice as well. 

By conducting waste and brand audits, the initiative aims to identify the top polluters and advocate for policies that prioritize waste management and environmental preservation.

But how can you play a part in this monumental effort? It's simple yet impactful.

Citizens are encouraged to register their cleanups, selecting sites of ecological significance and organizing their own Himalayan Cleanup events.

With uniform protocols for waste and brand audits, participants will contribute valuable data to the fight against plastic pollution.

Here's what sets the Himalayan Cleanup apart: it's a zero waste event.

Every aspect of the cleanup is meticulously planned to minimize environmental impact.

From serving local, unpackaged food to collaborating with recyclers and rag pickers, sustainability is at the forefront of the initiative.

So, gather your friends, roll up your sleeves, and join the Himalayan Cleanup 2024.

Together, let's ensure that our mountains remain pristine havens of natural beauty for generations to come. 

THC 2024 becomes pertinent in the light of the draft global plastic pollution treaty as well as increasing evidence of ill-health due to plastic usage and pollution.

Negi said the data has been critical to advocate for mountain sensitive waste policies including Extended Producer Responsibility.  

More information is available at www.thehimalayancleanup.in and participants can also register their cleanups on the website.

WHAT?

The Himalayan Cleanup 2018 was conceived by Zero Waste Himalaya and Integrated Mountain Initiative to highlight the waste crisis in the Indian Himalayan Region. THC through its waste and brand audit contribute to the much needed change in the waste narrative, challenge the notions of a clean, pristine Himalaya and advocate for systemic changes.

REFLECT on our waste footprint, SWITCH to sustainable lifestyles and DEMAND for better products and systems; the theme for THC is a powerful principle and process to motivate participants to move towards mindful and sustainable lifestyles. It creates collective spaces for individuals to demand for improved systems and products to redress the problem of plastic pollution.

WHY THC!

We are living amidst a Plastic Waste Crisis. Plastic is now found on top of the highest mountains, deepest of trenches in the ocean, even inside human placenta, blood and lungs. There is a growing body of evidence that shows the toxicity and ill health effects of plastic usage and pollution. This crisis of plastic pollution arises from the unsustainable and unnecessary production of plastics, much of which are being designed for single use and without solution e.g. multilayered plastic and tetrapak.

Just 12 countries are responsible for 60 percent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste, the top five being China, USA, India, Brazil and Mexico, Earth Action has reported. Under current scenarios, despite pledges and increased waste management capacity, increased production of plastics will lead to global plastics pollution tripling by 2040 Earth Action pointed out.

Plastics’ impact on the climate starts with extraction and the growth in plastic production alone will doom international climate goals.

Even if every other source of greenhouse gas emissions were to miraculously and completely decarbonize in 2024, at current growth rates, primary plastic production alone would completely consume the global carbon budget as early as 2060 and no later than 2083.

More than just cleaning up, THC 2024 aims at gathering supporting data to demand for better systems, products and policies for the mountains.

There is an urgent need for waste management policies like solid waste, plastic waste management and extended producer responsibility rules to be mountain sensitive and specific.

THC is equally an exercise to look inwards, reflect on our own lifestyles and make sustainable choices. THC is a call to action to everyone to rise up against plastic pollution.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

All concerned citizens can participate by registering their cleanup.

Select a site that is socio-ecological importance to you and your region and plan THC2024 of your site.

THC is anchored following uniform protocols to determine volumes and types of waste collected through a waste audit, as well as a brand audit to reveal who are the top polluters of our mountains. The Brand Audit is aligned to the global brand audit of #BreakFreeFromPlastics.

Cleanups can never be a complete solution to this problem that we are faced with, but it is surely a good place to start on a sustainable zero waste pathway.

THC is a zero waste event, thus hosts and participants plan so that the event does not create waste that has to be trashed.

Local unpackaged food, reusable water bottles and cotton banners are used so that no plastic waste is generated in the event.

THC planning includes recyclers and rag pickers so that recyclables are linked to the recycling chain.

Since most plastic waste is not recyclable, linkages to existing management systems have to be made so that they are trashed in existing landfills.