Packaging waste you can wear

A giant T-shirt measuring approximately 320 feet high by 230 feet wide and made out of 200,000 recycled plastic bottles has landed the Plastindia Foundation in the Guinness World Records. The foundation, which comprises major associations, organizations, and institutions connected with the plastics industry in India, took up the initiative along with PET manufacturer Manjushree Technopack Limited to create awareness for the need to manage plastic waste so it is recycled more efficiently. Swapnil Dangirikar, the official adjudicator of Guinness World Records confirmed that the T-shirt was bigger than the current record holder. The fabric from the T-shirt will be used to create 10,000 T-shirts, distributed free to children from economically challenged areas.

Said Plastindia Foundation President K.K. Seksaria, “The thought behind this initiative was to catch citizens’ attention on facts such as the dire need for everyone among us to be more responsible towards the environment. Plastics waste can be managed effectively with understanding segregation at source and making citizens more conscious towards littering and mixing waste. If waste is segregated and disposed correctly, it will help plastics waste to be recycled more effectively, and we can create many things from recycled plastics waste. To change people’s behavior towards waste management and segregation is not going to be easy, but steps like these could go a long way in building empathy and belief that there are ways to bring about environmental change if every citizen understands and appreciates his civicresponsibility.”

Atul Kanuga, Chairman of Plastindia’s Environment & Plastics Image Committee, says, “The T-shirt project of this scale is to draw attention to the fact that one should look at waste from a different angle. Six plastic bottles of one liter can clothe one child, and there is value in waste. We must segregate waste and reuse the good part. Upscaling from waste is the new mantra, and the plastic industry will play its part.”

Adds Vimal Kedia, Managing Director of Manjushree Technopack, “Plastics have indeed made the world a better place. However, the irresponsible use of plastics, if continued unabated, has the potential to derail the many benefits of plastics. On behalf of the industry, I would like to congratulate and thank the Plastindia Foundation for this tremendous effort to raise awareness around plastics recycling. All stakeholders, including consumers, must contribute to the effort for more responsible use of plastics.