Plastic pollution, ecosystem degradation and climate change are among the most urgent environmental challenges of our time.
Recognising this, Project Rise launched the global initiative “Turning the Tide Against Plastic Pollution” in 2018, mobilising community members across India and abroad to clean water bodies, beaches and rivers, promote the circular economy, and build environmental awareness.
Areas Covered
Mumbai, India – 800 community volunteers joined a cleanup at Versova Beach in partnership with environmental activist Afroz Shah.
Mumbai, India – Students from Aljamea‑tus‑Saifiyah conducted weekly waste collection drives in the slum area adjacent to the Mithi River, and promoted systematic segregation and recycling of plastics.
What the Projects Addressed & How They Helped:
These efforts addressed the twin problems of plastic pollution and ecosystem loss. Key actions included:
Large-scale beach, river and water-body clean-ups to remove plastic waste choking ecosystems.
Community-based awareness sessions in schools and neighbourhoods emphasizing the circular economy, reuse and recycling of single-use plastics.
Installing plastic-waste banks in schools and centres to capture, segregate and link waste to recycling chains.
Planting mangroves and native trees, and promoting sustainable agriculture (e.g., date-palm cultivation) to bolster biodiversity, carbon sequestration and local climate resilience.
Impact
By engaging thousands of volunteers worldwide, the initiative has removed tons of plastic from water-bodies, inspired institutional changes (e.g., zero-waste policies), and extended the community’s environmental footprint from Mumbai to the UAE, UK and North America.
Quotes from leaders
" It’s a two-pronged strategy involving the cleaning up of the river by removing items that choke the Mithi, and encouraging a circular economy, observed "
