GUFF-GAFF, March 2022
- By : resourceshimalaya.org
- March 24, 2022
Resources Himalaya Foundation and Environmental Graduates in Himalaya successfully organized our monthly program Guff-Gaff with an ecologist, Dr. Sailesh Ranjitkar. He presented a talk on “Plastics: A Problem of Anthropocene and its Biological Solution.” After the welcoming note and introduction of guest speaker by EGH Coordinator, the platform was handover to the speaker.
The talk mainly focused on generation of plastic waste with its possible biological solution, since the growing accumulation of plastic wastes has become a severe global issue and enormous environmental problem of Anthropocene. As plastics provide industries with low-cost and lightweight options, it is gaining popularity and is produced in huge quantity. Dr. Ranjitkar specified that humans have created approximately 6.3 billion metric ton of plastic waste since 1950, out of which only 9% have been recycled. It was noted that, the existence of plastic was not recorded before the synthesis by human. In the context of Nepal, the talk informed that the plastic waste and its management have emerged as a great environmental challenge, despite the relatively low production and utilization. Looking at the scenario, innovative approaches for the disposal of plastic wastes are deemed urgent. Giving overview on the efforts for solution, Dr. Ranjitkar mentioned that the research team at CMS, China, successfully conducted several experiments on plastic biodegradation, with some ongoing researches. The talk suggested that, these innovations offer a possibility to develop biological treatment technology for plastic wastes that can be implemented as biological solutions. The talk was followed by a discussion session and ended with the vote of thanks from the EGH Coordinator.
