Canacona based NGO, Goenkar has commenced the second phase of exchanging dry plastic garbage as part of its ongoing effort to rid the taluka of accumulated garbage, as well as to create awareness about the significance of a clean environment.
Focusing on the younger generation, the NGO handed out 20 school bags and eight compass boxes to young students for the garbage they collected.
It may be recalled that earlier, in their ‘sugar for plastic’ exchange programme, 60kg of sugar was given out for the same quantity of plastic collected by the residents. The idea behind the scheme is to inculcate the habit of collecting plastic waste which is normally just thrown away.
“The total plastic waste collected was 176kg. This will now be bailed and sent to the cement factory in Karnataka,” said the NGO secretary, Vikas Bhagat.
The Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) councilors had donated Rs 1 lakh to the NGO for their contribution towards the betterment of the taluka.
“Goenkar is thrilled with the manner in which students were part of the programme. The NGO is proud of the awareness it spread through this process. It is amazing that some people just gave away their plastic waste without taking anything in return. We now hope this level of participation continues so that we will be able to clean the entire taluka,” added Bhagat.
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NGO hails boys who cleaned up a beach
The NGO Goenkar has hailed the initiative by a group of boys who ended up cleaning the garbage off Rajbagh-Khola beach after initially going there for a picnic. It was termed a ‘pleasant surprise’.
“These boys have done a wonderful job. We applaud their actions and hope others in different villages also make such groups which will help to clean their respective areas,” Vikas Bhagat said.
“Mahatma Gandhi observed that a movement only becomes successful when common people are involved. This is our strategy as well. Once we widen our area of work, we would require the cooperation of local groups to spread awareness on cleanliness. We are soon going to have a meeting with these boys and applaud them personally and then work with them in other areas,” said Ulhas Gaunkar, from the NGO.
