Kalipada Das has undergone a lifestyle change. The former fisherman is now collecting plastic bottles from the Ganga river and its banks. According to the Times of India, he quit his job three years ago and now makes a living collecting waste.

The 48-year starts rowing from Beldanga Kalaberia and spends the day picking up plastic waste. He sometimes goes as far as Farshdanga ghat or Behrampore’s Bhagirathi Bridge. The reason he has taken on this job? “No government or non-government organisation cares to cleans ,” Das told the Times of India.

Das is proud of his job helping keep the river clean. Citizens are also impressed with what he is doing and how is he helping the environment. High school teacher Sajal Bhowmik told the Times of India, “Kalipada Das must be honoured to make people aware about plastic Pollution.”

Its’a a big job for one man to tackle by himself. Others call  for more fishermen to engage in cleaning up the rivers. The banks of the Ganga are next to temples, shops and clubs. These places all throw plastic cups, bottles, plates and trash into the river. The environmental project coordinator for Behrampore municipality said they had put up “flexes to create awareness against plastic Pollution.”

India and its citizens have been working hard to reduce plastic Pollution across the country. President Modi was caught on camera picking up trash to create plastic awareness. A village in India was trading rice for plastic trash with citizen participating. The country has been working to ban all single-use plastic by 2022.

There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic Pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives including, making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners, using  mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads!

To learn more about the impact of plastic waste, please read the articles below: 

• Marine Animals that are Dying because of our Plastic Habit
• Where Plastic Really Goes When You Throw it Out
• 5 Documentaries to make you Rethink Single-Use Plastics
• 6 Million Tons of Single-Use Plastics Get Thrown Out Every Year!

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