Women in some villages of Dakshina Kannada are out to prove a point to their urban counterparts: they are aware of ill-effects of plastic and they are keen to do something about it. They are determined to segregate plastic until they are able to transfer it to those who can recycle it.
For more than 50 women gathered at Manchi village, about 35 km away from here on Wednesday, two things were clear: plastic cannot be dumped anywhere and everywhere, and that it cannot be burnt – unless you want to invite trouble.
Every one of them is convinced that it is carcinogenic. “We have been burning it for long on our premises, I don’t how vulnerable we have become to cancer by now,” said Greeshma of Montimaru village, emerging out of a session on empowering women that focused mainly on elimination of plastic. Thulasi of Nirbailu village said plastic burning aggravated her asthma. The likes of Grace Pasanna of Pucchekere put plastics in a bag hung prominently in their house.
Women, mostly belonging to different self-help groups, underwent a half-day awareness programme conducted by Sheena Moolya, erstwhile ombudsman of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and activist from Jan Shikshana Trust. He and fellow activist Krishna Moolya, through slogans such as “Plastic preethi, pranakke bheethi” (love of plastic can be fatal) and songs of unity, attempted to show that plastic was to be stored and sold for recycling. Manchi is one of 60 villages chosen for the campaign.
Where do I dump?Women pointed out that there was no proper system to dispose of plastic bags. Safia, from Pattumudi Sites and a member of Mathru Sangama group of Manchi, pointed out that she had been storing plastic bags for six months and finally had to dump them in a pit as nobody was there to collect it or purchase it. The women were prepared to sell them to gram panchayat, but arranging that could take time, the activists say.
Mr. Shetty, whose non-governmental organisation has joined hands with the government to empower women, said, “The district could be free of plastic, if this is continued for 3-4 years.”