Recycle today for a better tomorrow

Having seen huge plastic waste generated during big events and lying around in landfills, Mahathi decided to do her part and began researching ways to reduce the environmental impact of this dangerous menace.

Hyderabad: In an initiative to reduce the plastic waste, Alati Mahathi Reddy, a Grade 10 student at Oakridge International School in Gachibowli, has come up with an initiative Ecomats, to make mats out of recycled plastic.

Having seen huge plastic waste generated during big events and lying around in landfills, Mahathi decided to do her part and began researching ways to reduce the environmental impact of this dangerous menace.

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During her research, she discovered that, of the total plastic waste generated globally, only a small percentage is recycled, and the majority of it ends up in landfills or oceans, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. She then came up with the idea of collecting plastic waste from her surroundings and transforming it into something useful, leading her to the initiative “Ecomats.”

Mahathi collected plastic waste from gated communities, flea markets, and other locations in and around Hyderabad. She was able to recycle the waste plastic with the help of Srichakra Polyplast India, a Hyderabad-based company. AVA International, Aurangabad, assisted her in producing high-quality plastic mats at an affordable price.

Mahathi, with assistance from her family, has raised the funds for this initiative. Furthermore, driven by her compassion towards the poor, she distributed these mats along with blankets to the homeless, to keep them warm during the cold winter.