By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 26 Jun: The Plastic Bank Campaign of Dehradun-based Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation is expanding its reach to different sections of society. After various schools, hostels, Maggi Points, hospitals, universities, government and private institutions, SDC has reached out to the army cantonment and families of armed forces to join this campaign. If everything goes well, it is expected that, in the coming days, more than 4,000 military families living in Garhi Cantonment area will join this campaign.
SDC Founder Anoop Nautiyal was invited by the Indian Army as the keynote speaker on the occasion of World Environment Day 2024 on 5 June at the Garhi Cantonment Area. A large number of military officers, soldiers and their family members were present. Apart from sharing his insights on various environmental and climate centric issues of Uttarakhand, he appealed to the military families present to reduce the use of plastic in their homes and collect it. He said that SDC Foundation will segregate this plastic waste in its Plastic Waste Segregation and Learning Centre and will further arrange for recycling of this waste.
According to Anoop Nautiyal, after this appeal, more than 100 families of military officers and soldiers recently handed over the plastic waste collected from their homes to SDC Foundation at the Mahendra Ground, here. Along with this, the officers expressed their desire to continue this programme in the Cantonment area in the future as well. They also said that efforts will be made to make more than 4000 families of military officers, soldiers and employees living in the area a part of this programme.
Anoop Nautiyal said that, while the use of plastic is increasing rapidly, public awareness and reduction of plastic waste is not happening at the same pace. In this scenario, the SDC Plastic Banks are proving to be one of the many effective mechanisms to deal with this waste. He said that SDC Foundation has so far established 135 plastic banks in Dehradun and, in the coming days, this campaign will be taken further towards making it a mass movement.
Administrative officers, Swachhata Inspectors Tribhuvan, Girish, Vijay Rana, other soldiers and Sardar Sahiban were present at the Army’s Mahindra Ground and everyone participated enthusiastically. Dinesh Semwal, Praveen Upreti, Abhishek Bhatt, Bittu and Subhash of SDC Foundation played key roles in hosting the successful programme.
