Waste generated by yartsa gunbu collectors include food and cigarette packaging, single-use plates, and soda cans, among others | Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya | ICIMOD

Plastic, plastic everywhere

From the plains to the mountains, plastic is now a familiar sight in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Plastic is a popular medium to package food, water, and many household items. It is light, durable, water-proof, and sanitary. In geographically remote mountain settlements where transportation costs, especially if transported by air or on human- and animal-back, are calculated by weight, plastic bottles are preferred over glass.

What we do with plastic after we use it is crucial. In urban and semi-urban places, where a waste management system is usually in place, waste is collected at the household level and transported to a collection site where it is sorted for reuse or for dumping in a landfill. In rural areas, however, waste – especially plastic – is either burnt, or tossed out into surrounding land or water bodies. When plastic waste meets ‘nature’, the consequences can be catastrophic.

In line with World Environment Day 2023, there is a global intervention working to beat plastic pollution, but we must take steps at the local level in the HKH to minimise, and reverse, plastic pollution.

‘Breathing’ plastic

Every summer, thousands of women, men, and children make the arduous trip to the high Himalaya in search of ‘Himalayan gold’ – the caterpillar fungus, (Ophiocordyceps sinensis – a kind of entomopathogenic fungus, one that grows on insects) that fetches a price equivalent to the price of gold. Known as keera in Nepali, keera-jadi in Hindi, and yartsa gunbu in Tibetan, it is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat many ailments including anaemia, asthma, blood pressure, fatigue, and impotence.

Yartsa gunbu collectors live for approximately two months in temporary plastic tents, with up to nine persons – including adults and children – in a tent. Their food rations generally consist of instant noodles and pasta – packaged in plastic. Their source of energy is fuelwood, which is usually wet due to the humid weather during the collection season. Burning the plastic food wrappers with the fuelwood provides a double purpose – they function as effective fire-starters, and they also ‘solve’ the problem of waste disposal.

Burning plastic in a confined tent space means that its inhabitants are consistently inhaling plastic fumes. Many are not aware of the health problems associated with breathing in the fumes which are likely to cause respiratory problems, and birth defects, among others.

‘Eating’ plastic

Improperly disposed plastic waste attracts wildlife. Elephants, wild pigs, foxes, and feral dogs have been known to consume plastic, and other waste materials. They are drawn to such waste especially for their salt content. Wildlife are known to visit natural (and also artificial) salt licks to supplement their diets with minerals. Elephants favour fast food including potato chips, Kurkure (a brand of a corn-based snack), and instant noodles, the plastic covers of which have been seen in their dung. They access these types of food either in open waste-dumps or in landfills.

‘Sinking’ in plastic

Disposing of waste in rivers is commonly practiced across the HKH. The flowing waters remove the ‘waste’ from its site of origin, hence the burden of having to manage the waste is removed. But the plastic waste becomes visible further downstream where the river flow is weak or absent.

Such plastic in water bodies breaks down into micro-plastics which is initially ingested by aquatic organisms, and subsequently by humans through the food chain. Plastic in water bodies can also strangle or injure aquatic animals.

Beating plastic pollution

We are breathing, eating, and sinking in plastics.

At the local level in the HKH, we must begin to implement three solutions :

• Waste management systems: Local governments and communities must work together to put in place waste management systems for collection, recycling, and disposal of waste. This should not be limited to settled areas, but also in remote mountain areas such as yartsa gunbu collection sites and tourism destinations.
• Awareness raising: Many people are unaware of the consequences of breathing, eating, or soaking in plastic waste. Raising awareness on these issues must result in behavioural shifts in how we use and dispose of plastic waste.
• Alternatives to plastic: The solutions above will be most effective if alternatives to plastic are also in place. For this, we can rely on our rich traditional knowledge and practices of using nature to replace some of the plastic equivalents. For example, bamboo straws – commonly used in the mountain drink called tongba – can replace plastic straws. Banana leaves can be used as plates and food wrappers. Single-use plates and bowls can be replaced with leaves of the Sal tree or areca palm leaves and sheaths.

In addition to beating plastic pollution, these solutions can also provide employment opportunities at the local level.

Beating plastic pollution requires us all to take collective action today!
 

Janita Gurung

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