FMCGs laud Mysuru students' solid waste management initiative

An initiative of the students of a government school in a village in Nanjangud taluk on solid waste management has been appreciated by a few fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.

The students of Government High School, Heggadahalli have been collecting solid waste, mainly packaging materials of FMCGs, and are segregating them on the basis of their respective companies. Under the initiative ‘Nimma Kasa Nimage’ (Your garbage for you), the students have been sending the disposed packaging materials to the respective companies as a mark of protest to show how the company products are mounting pressure on the growing garbage menace.

Nestle India has positively responded to the initiative and has written an e-mail to the students appreciating their concern for ecology and their action to check the menace of garbage. Earlier, Colgate had responded in a similar way. The students have sent the disposed packaging materials to 25 companies by registered post over the past nine months.

Santhosh Guddiyangadi, a teacher, said, the children are happy to receive an e-mail from the companies. “It is a motivation for them to continue the good work,” he said.

In the e-mail, Pankaj Talwar of the consumers' grievances division of Nestle India, has stated; “We are moved by the concern of the children for the environment. We assure the students that we will develop eco-friendly packaging materials soon. We understand the concern of the children about plastic waste, most of it in the form of packaging materials. We have taken several steps to manage solid waste scientifically. By 2025, we wish to achieve a target of 100% reusable packaging materials”.

“In Dehradun and Mussoorie, we have started the ‘Plastic Express’ project on an experimental basis. A truck moves around, in the towns, to collect plastic waste of Nestle and other products. We are scientifically disposing of the collected waste,” the e-mail reads.