Plastic menace is nothing new and it has been affecting our environment since the time it was introduced in the market. The plastic items have become a growing environmental concern so much so that the Government of India is planning to phase out single-use plastic by 2020 to combat pollution.
The Northeast India is a haven of mesmerisingly beautiful places where nature flourishes with all its glory. But the tourist spots are often found littered with plastic items which visitors leave behind due to lack of the waste management system. These plastic items like bottles, chips packets not only pollute the environment but also the beauty of the place.
However, one such tourist spot in Meghalaya, Sohbar Adventure Camp chose the plastic trash to showcase the pristine beauty of the place. The camp came up with an idea to reuse plastic waste as a floating mattress for visitors to the camp.
Speaking with Time8, John Daniel M Momin, Sohbar camp co-owner, said, “Getting rid of plastic waste has been a huge problem for us as well as our caretakers. Burning them was not a solution for us. So, I along with my brother-in-law came up with the idea of reusing all the plastic waste. Building a floating mattress out of plastic waste was just an experiment we both came up with and surprisingly, it worked well.”
“Currently, we have only one floating mattress in the camp and we have been using for a week now. We are planning to build more such mattresses in the coming weeks for our campers,” added Momin.
Further speaking about the process of building the plastic floating mattress, Momin said that nylon robes have been used to tie up around 80 one-litre plastic water bottles. Also, waste CPVC pipes have been used in the corners to keep the bottles in place.
It may be mentioned that Sohbar adventure camp is located near the Wahrew riverside in Sohbar village of Meghalaya and it provides camp and adventure services to its visitors.
Momin added, “The plastic floating mattress is just an experiment and we are also planning to make hookah bottles, toilet walls and wine bottles out of plastic waste.”
Photo credit: @sohbarmeghalaya
