Organiser, BMC stay true to promise in reducing plastic usage

Looks like reduction in the use of plastic bottles and waste management early in the day by the Tata Mumbai Marathon organisers (TMM), with help of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), did bear fruits. Clearly, the large number of used plastic bottles which would otherwise be found lying in the course of marathon and in the resting area, drastically reduced this year.

Few days before the marathon, the organiser had claimed that it is planning of reducing 60,000 plus plastic bottles across the event. To supply water to the Marathon attendees, there were water filling stations in the holding area and at the marathon course. A member of Stree Mukti Sanghatana, who is operating on behalf of BMC, said, “This year we can clearly see a drastic drop in plastic waste. There are so many people but not that much plastic bottles. This surprises me.” Yet another staff claimed last year there was so much plastic bottles that four-five trucks were called to pick the pet bottles but this year the plastic waste is not that much compared to last year.”

BMC had hired around 250 staff to pick up the waste generated at the marathon. “The organisers were coming to all the segregation centres that were set-up and they were telling us to pick up any waste that was seen around,” said a staff who was picking up the litter.

While BMC relies on third party like Stree Mukti Sanghatana to clean up the waste and segregate it into dry and wet waste, there are some unpaid helping hands that help BMC in cleaning up —ragpickers are those helping hand in this context. But their intention is to make quick bucks as they can earn Rs 15 one kilogram of pet bottles. A ragpicker, Suman, pointing at her huge bag, said, “By end of the marathon usually my bag is over flowing. But this year, I had to search a lot to find the waste.”

There were dustbins for wet and dry waste around the place. But the signboard on these bins was unclear which led many marathon participants to dump dry and wet waste in wrong bins. A participant, Naina, said, “This year the plastic bottles are less and more use of paper cups. This is a good sign.” She goes on to suggest the sign on the dustbins should have been clearer so that people throwing litter are made aware about segregating waste.”