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Dubai: Neeraja Sankar is on a mission to save the world, one floor at a time. And she is just 16.
At 6.30pm every Friday, she steps out of her first floor Bur Dubai apartment, in the hope that her neighbours have left their garbage out for her to collect, just as she requested.
Seven floors, 20kg of plastic waste and one hour later, Neeraja and her neighbourhood friends drop off the items at the nearby recycling centre.
Plastic milk bottles, plastic juice cartons and plastic bags constitute most of the waste, she said. "We have assigned ourselves certain floors and once we're done picking up all the waste, my father takes us to the nearby recycling centre to drop it off," Neeraja explained.
A true example of how individuals can make a difference to the environment, this young Our Own English High School pupil is keen on putting a stop to the scourge of plastic bags - which is why she has got almost everyone in her building actively involved.
"I started the initiative last summer. I went to each apartment, told them about my plan to reduce plastic usage, and requested them to leave their plastic waste outside their front door every Friday," she said.
The response was very encouraging - at least in the first few weeks. Neeraja said she once used to collect twice as much recyclable waste but the amount has dwindled over the year. What changed it?
What changed it?
"People don't like holding on to their trash for an entire week. They would rather throw it right away, regardless of whether it can be recycled or not."
The young environmentalist has a simple solution. "If the Dubai Municipality were to place recycling bins for paper, glass and plastic in every locality, it would be very convenient for residents."
Neeraja hopes to convince her school to sponsor recycle bins and to get more people involved.
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