PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 16th Jul, 2023 ) :Trash Bee, a small production unit set up with the idea of promoting reuse of plastic waste through environmentally sustainable mode of recycling has been serving as an inspiring model for apprising the young generation about much needed green skills to drive environmental change in the country.
Launched by a young engineer, Arsalan Ayaz, the Trash Bee’s main objective is promoting practice of recycling of plastic waste in an environment friendly and holistic manner.
“Most of the recycling units in the country are carrying routine practice of recycling plastic along with contaminants which pollutes air and environments and creates health problems for humans,” observed Arsalan while talking to a group of journalist during a field trip arranged by Institute of Urbanization.
At Trash Bee, he added, the focus is given on promotion of green skills to drive environmental change and create a sustainable world.
The workers at Trash Bee sort the collected plastic scrape to ensure all contaminants have been removed.
Once sorted and cleaned, plastic is shredded into flakes and melted to form pellets before finally being molded into new products.
We have also installed a filter at the furnace to make the emission less pollutant and less harmful for humans and environment, Arsalan told newsmen.
The objective of Trash Bee is the same of earning money, but in an environmental friendly manner, ensuring that the practice is not harmful for humans, he remarked.
The starts up is in its initial stages but also is making a contribution through donation from its meagre earning to varsities for carrying out research and development in proper disposal of plastic waste.
Quoting a figure of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Arsalan said Pakistan generates approximately 20 million tons of solid waste annually, of which 5 to 10 percent is plastic waste.
Plastic pollution not only affects the environment but also human health, as plastic waste can release harmful chemicals into the soil and water, and be ingested by animals, which can then enter the food chain.
Through proper recycling we can treat to some extent some amount of plastic waste and can also transform this resource as a source of income and creation of livelihood, he opined.
Arsalan also disclosed that Trash Bee is also producing wooden cutlery through use of bamboo wood to discourage utilization of plastic.
The cutlery of bamboo wood is totally environmentally friendly, durable and is also disposable in waste dumps, he claims.
After cutlery, Trash Bee will also produce additional house hold items made of bamboo wood to introduce a new and environmental friendly source of raw material which can be used instead of hazardous plastic.
“While realizing severity of environmental degradation in Pakistan and its impact on people of the country, it is need of the hour to embrace green skills and convince our coming generation to become a catalyst for a greener and brighter future,” suggested Dr. Ejaz Ahmad, Senior Fellow IoU.
According to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is also binding on our government to include the target of upgrading infrastructure and retrofitting industries to make them sustainable with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies, he continued.
IoU is also striving for `Building of a Sustainable Future’ and in connection with world `Youth Skills Day’ to be observed on July 15, is promoting the concept of green skills for educating the young generation to unlock their green potential and empower themselves with sustainable skills, Dr. Ejaz added.
Article Credits: Urdu Point