LH. Thangi Mannen, former Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, speaking at the one-day awareness and training programme on plastic pollution, waste management, and waste segregation held on July 1 at Mokokchung Baptist Church, Mokokchung Village. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung village | July 1
A one-day awareness and training programme on plastic pollution, waste management, and waste segregation was held on July 1 at Mokokchung Baptist Church. The event was jointly organised by the Mokokchung Senso Mungdang and the Women Ministry of Mokokchung Baptist Arogo, in collaboration with YWCA Mokokchung.
Delivering the keynote address on “Reducing Plastic Pollution in Our Daily Life,” L.H. Thangi Mannen—former Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland and Founder of Earth Allianc, Patron YWCA MKG & Advisor BAN—spoke on the urgent environmental and health hazards posed by plastic waste, especially from single-use plastics. Citing alarming data, she warned of over 16,000 chemicals used in plastic production, at least 4,200 of which are hazardous. She described children today as “Generation Plastic,” exposed to these harmful chemicals even before birth.
Referencing Genesis 2:15, Mannen stressed the moral and spiritual duty to protect the Earth and advocated for waste segregation at the source. She highlighted the importance of reducing multi-layered plastic (MLP) usage—most of which is non-recyclable—and called for public cooperation in adopting sustainable alternatives, setting up composting systems, and supporting pro-environmental policies. “Banning plastic alone is not enough,” she asserted, underlining the importance of responsible waste management.
DMC Waste Management Environmental Consultant and Member Earth Alliance Adrian M. Mahung, spoke on “Waste Management: Transforming Waste into a Resource.” He addressed the mounting problem of legacy waste in India and proposed community-led landfill solutions and resource recovery techniques. Mahung introduced an action plan for Mokokchung Village that includes awareness campaigns, two-bin systems, composting, recyclables collection, and zero-waste bazaars over the course of a year.
The final session was led by Sungtiyala Jamir, co-founder of Green Heap Enterprise, who spoke on home composting. Citing Mokokchung Town’s daily waste generation of 13.5 metric tonnes, she explained how composting reduces methane emissions and landfill burden. She outlined a simple composting method using kitchen and garden waste and encouraged households to adopt the practice. She added that Green Heap has already diverted over 278 metric tonnes of organic waste from the municipal landfill.
The programme was led by Rongsenmenla, President of YWCA Mokokchung and Lanuakum, President of Mokokchung Senso Mungdang, delivered the welcome address.
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