World Sustainability Day: IIT Madras Launches Campaign To Segregate Plastic Waste On Campus

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, on the occasion of World Sustainability Day, has launched the campaign 'Punch the Plastic.' The aim is to design a method to collect clean plastic packaging for recycling options such as pyrolysis.

The entire institute comprising students, faculty, and staff, has made a joint effort to form a 'Sustainable Campus Collective' to drive engagement and raise awareness on minimum energy consumption and waste segregation. The drive was launched by the IAS officer Shanti Sheela Nair, Dean Ligy Philp and Nilesh J. Vasa, Faculty advisor of the campaign, Indumathi Nambi, and students.

Know About 'Punch The Plastic' Campaign

The 'Sustainable Campus Collective' drive is under three effective campaigns- Punch the Plastic, Monkey proof food waste dustbin hackathon, and Sustainability Champions Contest. The effort is to enable students, faculty, and management to sustainability practice activities on campus.

During the launch of the 'Punch the Plastic' campaign, Professor Indumathi Nambi said, "We believe that every individual in the IIT Madras community should contribute their bit and strengthen the administration's efforts towards making the campus the best in the country in terms of practising sustainability."

Aim To Transform Into Sustainable Campus

The drive aims to transform the IIT Madras campus into a sustainable campus in three aspects- low carbon, water footprint, and zero waste campus, reported NDTV Education. The drive will reach to institute's academic zones, hostels, and residential zones to encourage everyone to make it a successful campaign.

According to the management committee of 'Punch the Plastic,' thin packets from food delivery and packaging plastic, such as snack packets, are non-recyclable as they are dirty and wet when mixed with organic waste. Untreated plastic waste often goes to water bodies and landfill sites, creating pollution.

The students at the institute have designed models of simple hook devices that collect clean and dry plastic waste to send them to recycling options like pyrolysis. Through this initiative, the campus will step towards a sustainable plastic waste collection and treatment model.

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