Eco Bricks to beat plastic pollution

Eco Club of Fazl Ali College comes up with low tech solution to combat plastic pollution

Morung Express News
Mokokchung | June 11

With plastic pollution becoming the most pressing environmental issue with an increasing amount of plastics being manufactured, rampantly used and unscrupulously disposed, the Eco Club of Fazl Ali College (FAC) in Mokokchung district came up with a simple low tech solution by making eco bricks with plastic waste from homes to reduce the amount of waste being disposed into landfills. 

Children taking part in the initiative to make eco bricks.

Under the Directive of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and the Nagaland Pollution Control Board, the Eco Club was formed in FAC in March 2019 with one coordinator and two members appointed by the Principal. The club started with 19 students who voluntarily joined as members; now having almost 80 members with alumnus of the college still participating in activities from their respective places. 

Among many other projects the Eco Club of FAC has launched, the ‘Eco Bricks Project’ is one of the projects they have started on their own. Plastic waste are used to fill plastic bottles in order to reduce waste and these eco bricks are used to create modular structures such as planters, outdoor benches, structures, garden, etc for college campus beautification.

The club has also initiated a small kitchen garden within the College premise with the objectives of inculcating certain life-skills and also generating awareness about the importance of organic gardening among the young students. The garden started off successfully with the seeds and saplings donated by the student-members and the teachers of the Club. Teachers in the college buy vegetables from the Eco Club garden and with the money they receive, they buy more seeds for gardening.

“Eco club is a wonderful platform for students as well as teachers, free from the constraints of classroom and curriculum,” said Dr Temjensangla Pongener, Coordinator of Eco Club in FAC. “It is an opportunity to build attitude and encourage creativity which requires a set of values and feelings of concern for environment,” she added.

According to her, the club organizes ‘Santa’s Workshop’ every year before Christmas where ornaments and decorations are made from waste and as an extension services, they create awareness beyond the campus and have collaborated with Ethelbert hostellers of Tongdentsüyong ward Mokokchung, students of Government High School Mokokchung village, Clean Mokokchung Campaign and Christian Education Ministry Kumlong Baptist Arogo Church to keep the environment clean and free from plastics.

During the COVID-19 lockdown periods, Dr Temjensangla, along with the club members took responsibility to share awareness among children in their localities. They then received good responses from the children’s parents about them being responsible and taking initiative to collect even a small wrapper from outside their homes to fill plaster bottles for the project.

“We want to share the awareness with children and through their activities indirectly send a reminder to their parents to prepare a clean environment for their future,” said Dr Temjensangla on why the project is being taught to children instead of adults. 

The eco bricks collected is said to further be used in erecting a structure in a strategic location in the town square of Mokokchung. The Eco club members of Fazl Ali College Mokokchung encourage everyone to actively participate in environmental improvement and protect it by feeling the pulse of the environment.