Good Samaritans find a way to eliminate plastic

Sanjay Yadav

Out to battle single-use plastic, primarily disposable ones, Gurugram residents have come up with a unique initiative to start utensil banks. Good Samaritans across the city are creating a bank of steel utensils and lending these for free for social functions and endeavours such as bhandaras, chhabeels and birthday parties among other things to minimise the use of plastic plates and cups.

One of the key pioneers of the idea is Sector-14 resident and a waste-management crusader Sameera Satija. An employee at CAG, she was inspired for the cause while a chhabeel was being held in her area using plastic glasses.

She shelled Rs 10,000 from her own pocket to start a bank with 100 glasses, 100 plates and 75 quarter-plates. In a matter of a few days, she was able to increase the number to over 400 steel utensils. Sameera now has 12 centres in which eight are in Gurugram.

“I try and practice a sustainable and chemical-free lifestyle. I conduct workshops to provide solutions and share learning. In the same quest of providing sustainable solution and reducing the litter caused by disposable waste, I initiated ‘Crockery Bank For Everyone’ on June 22, 2018, which is a free service of steel utensils for any social or religious gathering. The initiative was welcomed by all sections of society. Now, there are 26 teams from all over India, who have started similar banks. With collective efforts, we have been able to discourage use of around 3,20,000 single-use plastic till date. Recently, the Ministry of Steel also felicitated this initiative under ‘Sustainability Vision: 2030’.

“As a conscious citizen, I strongly believe that we should be mindful and thoughtful of our actions, as it is going to impact the shape of the Earth,” Sameera said.

A similar initiative is being taken in Basai village, where a “crockery bank” lends utensils for free to villagers for all endeavours, including marriages, to discourage the use of disposable utensils, which used to litter the entire village. Being run by Dada Bhaiya Samiti, the bank started while the organisation went looking for an alternative to disposable plates and cups being used for monthly bhandaras of local temple held nine months a year. The idea clicked and the bank which started with a handful of utensils, today boasts of having 1,500 steel plates, 500 steel glasses and 500 spoons and 40 buckets. The utensils are lent to villagers in lieu of their identity cards as a guarantee and need to be returned cleaned.

Narender Kumar, a villager of Basai village said: “Recently, there was an engagement function at my home, where I used the utensils of the temple samiti, which was for free. While returning, I added some more utensils to the bank.”