June-19: ENVIRONMENT SNIPPETS
- Posted by CERC India
- Posted in Jun19
Why ‘fast fashion’ is bad for the planet
Environmental impactÂ
Fast fashion – readily available, inexpensively made clothing – has created an environmental and social justice crisis, a study claims. Globally, 80 billion pieces of new clothing are purchased each year, according to the study published in Environmental Health.
The adverse environmental impact is caused by the growth of water-intensive cotton and the release of untreated dyes into local water sources. Also, increased consumption patterns have created millions of tonnes of textile waste in landfills. People who work in or live near textile manufacturing facilities suffer the risk of health hazards. In addition, low wages and poor working conditions are prevalent in this sector.
 Human costs
Project on recycling temple waste gets UN award   Â
Curbing river pollution Â
Indian group ‘Help Us Green’, that gives marginalised women the chance to earn livelihoods by collecting temple flowers discarded in the Ganga and recycling them, has received a UN Climate Action Award. The floral waste is up-cycled to produce organic fertilizers, natural incense and biodegradable packaging material, reports IANS.
Over eight million tonnes of flowers are discarded in the river every year, contributing to water pollution. A total of 365 families have been impacted by the group, based in four cities of Uttar Pradesh, through stable incomes. The UN award won was in the ‘Women for Results’ category.
Women empowered  Â
India generates 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily Â
 Plastic waste hazards    Â
India generates 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every day, but 40% of it remains uncollected. This causes choking of drainage, ingestion by stray animals and open air burning leading to adverse impact on health and environment, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) study.
Average plastic waste generation is around 6.92% of the total MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) in the country, says the study. It noted that around 94% of total plastic waste is recyclable, such as PET and PVC. The Central Government has urged states to focus on phasing out single-use plastic which is neither biodegradable nor recyclable.
Focus on single-use plastic
