Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation, substituting plastic with cloth bags

Delhi: Plastic accumulation is one of the major causes of the degradation of the environment. In order to spread awareness and promote the use of plastic alternatives, a three-day mega fair, 'Plastic Vikalp Mela' was organised in Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi from July 1 to 3, 2022. In this mega fair, several NGOs, Self Help Groups and start-ups put up their stalls for exhibition and sales. These organisations and groups are working to reduce plastic pollution. One of such organisations is 'Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation'.

Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation, which works towards the betterment of the environment, makes eco-friendly and pocket-friendly cloth bags. These bags are made from the leftover fabric collected from the apparel manufacturers. These bags are made as a substitute for plastic bags, that too, for minimal cost. This foundation aims to encourage people to adopt healthy alternatives and give up plastic bags at a minimal price.

Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation started a project known as 'Project Vikalp' on November 29, 2021, in New Delhi. Under this project, the foundation established various stalls from where people could borrow a cloth bag at only ₹20 and return it after use to get a full refund. Project Vikalp has established 129 stalls in 56 markets to date.

The bags come with a QR code, which contains information about the project and stalls put up by the foundation. Along with QR code stickers, the bags also have stickers of Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation and Project Vikalp.

Why Waste Wednesdays was founded in 2021 by Dr Ruby Makhija, an ophthalmologist, Dr Praveen Makhija, a pediatrician and Yukti Makhija, B.Tech student. It was started to spread awareness among people to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

"People are aware of the harmful effects caused by the use of plastic and the practices that should be adopted. Everyone has cloth bags in their homes but they are just too lazy to carry them to market. So, we came up with this idea of lending cloth bags in the shops itself", says Ruby Makhija.