: Young Sarpanch Making Her Village Go Plastic Free with 75% Cut, Recycles Greywater too #IndiaNEWS #Environment This article is part of a deep dive to celebrate Environment Day by highlighting individual

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Young Sarpanch Making Her Village Go Plastic Free with 75% Cut, Recycles Greywater too #IndiaNEWS #Environment
This article is part of a deep dive to celebrate Environment Day by highlighting individual and community action that leads to large scale impact on the planet. ItStartsWithMe is the second chapter of ‘Shaping Sustainability’, an exclusive series by The Better India, to give our readers an in-depth understanding of how Indians are making sustainability a priority in all walks of life. Find more stories from the series here
When Rajasthan-born and Delhi-bred Priyanka Tiwari married in 2019, she shifted to a village called Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh. Her first impression of the place was not pleasant. The lack of a proper management system and functionalities in the village made it difficult to live in. Improper waste management, damaged drains, and a lack of crematoriums were some of the issues.
Priyanka, a mass communication graduate, was always a socially conscious individual. She felt an urge to bring about changes in the whole area and often discussed this with her in-laws. Her husband, a businessman, father-in-law, a professor and mother-in-law, a teacher, always agreed and supported her words.
Priyanka Tiwari, the super sarpanch.
When the 2021 Panchayat elections were announced, Priyanka’s father-in-law felt that it was the best opportunity for her to show her passion and skills. �If you want to bring about a change in this place, this is a golden chance,� he said to Priyanka. Following these words, then 29-year-old contested for the Sarpanch’s position and won.
The very next day after Priyanka’s oath-taking ceremony, plastic was banned in Rajpur panchayat. “Ceasing plastic usage can’t be done in a day. I was sure that it would be a long process,� says Priyanka, the sarpanch.

The panchayat distributed cloth bags to shopkeepers, roadside vendors, and houses as the first step. Secondly, they imposed a fine on them – Rs 500 for first-timers, Rs 1000 for second-timers and the next time, the licence of that shop would be cancelled. Simultaneously, awareness classes on the damage caused by plastic were also conducted.
The garbage bank.
Through these methods, 30-35 per cent of plastic use was reduced.
Secondly, realising that children, in the form of snack packets and chocolate wrappers, contribute to plastic waste, they were encouraged to collect it and earn Rs 2 per kg. Also, awareness classes were held in schools and colleges. This way, 70-75 per cent of plastic usage was lessened.
“My dream is to bring this number to 95 per cent in the upcoming two years. I hope the awareness programmes to both elders and children will help these processes to continue even after my tenure as the sarpanch,� she shares.

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