IIT Madras launches 'punch the plastic' campaign to collect non-recyclable items for pyrolysis

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras launched the 'punch the plastic' campaign to commemorate world sustainability day observe on October 26, 2022. The Institute designs a new method to collect clean and plastic packaging for recycling options such as pyrolysis.

The students, staff and faculty make joint efforts to form a 'sustainable campus collective' to raise awareness on waste segregation and minimising water and energy usage among campus residents. The drive was launched in October 25, 2022 in the presence of retired IAS officer, Shanti Sheela Nair; dean (planning), Ligy Philip; dean (students), Nilesh J. Vasa; sustainable campus collective, faculty advisor, Indumathi Nambi; faculty and students.

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The campaign included three major events-

• Punch the plastic drive- This event featured two models of simple hook device to collect clean and dry plastic packaging to send them to recycling options like pyrolysis. Packaging plastics are non-recyclable as they are wet and dirty when mixed with other organic wastes and often end up in dumpsites or water bodies.
• Monkey proof food waste dustbin hackathon- IIT Madras has quite a significant population of monkeys on the campus that look through the garbage bins and end up disrupting waste management. The Institute wants to increase the cope of deigns of garbage bins, therefore, via the hackathon, the best design will get funding for further prototyping and testing sponsored by 'carbon zero challenge 2022.'
• Sustainability champions contest- This event is an action for awareness on sustainability to all campus residents. It is planned through the sustainability contest to select the champions of the residential, academic and hostel zones and the vendors and service providers in the campus. These participants will be ranked by doing a water, energy, waste and hygiene audit and green ratings will be used to judge the win a trophy during convocation.

Addressing the launch event, IIT Madras, sustainable campus collective, faculty advisor, Indumathi Nambi, said: "We believe that every individual in 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.” She added that “The sustainability drive aims at making IIT Madras a truly sustainable campus in three aspects - zero waste campus, low carbon and low water footprint. The drive takes into its fold hostels, academic zones, residential zones, places of worship, shops and schools. It encourages all students, staff, faculty, residents, school kids, supporting contract workers to voluntarily participate and make it successful.”