Puri: In a welcoming initiative, aimed to promote learning-oriented, data-driven environmental action for the protection of Odisha’s fragile coastline, Eco Walk successfully organised a plogging-cum-scientific waste audit awareness programme at Chakratirtha Beach in Puri, Sunday in collaboration with Junglelore Foundation, Puri; Happiness Foundation, Puri and Eco Warriors Foundation, Ganjam.
The programme was led and hosted by climate activist Jalendra Mohalik, who emphasised that environmental action must go beyond symbolic clean-up drives, highlighting the importance of learning from waste through scientific analysis to design long-term, evidence-based solutions for marine pollution.
The initiative uniquely integrated plogging with a scientific waste audit methodology. Participants collected waste from a designated stretch of the beach and systematically segregated, documented, and analysed the materials to understand waste composition, sources, and pollution trends impacting the marine ecosystem.
The workshop witnessed active participation from Akash Ranjan Rath and Pravat Biswal of Junglelore Foundation, Pradipta Pradhan from Happiness Foundation, along with other attendees who collectively raised their voices for the protection of marine biodiversity with utmost care and responsibility.
During the programme, Rath created awareness among participants and the local community about the significance of Blue Flag beaches, their global standards, and the responsibility of citizens in maintaining cleanliness, safety, and ecological integrity.
Waste collected during the audit was categorised into single-use plastics, fishing-related debris, multilayer packaging, glass, metal, cloth, daily use essentials and miscellaneous waste. The findings revealed a dominant presence of single-use plastics and fishing gear waste, highlighting the urgent need for improved waste management practices, stronger producer accountability, and behavioural change at the community level.
The programme also saw the participation of Forest department officials and sanitation workers, who joined hands with climate enthusiasts and local youth, actively learning and applying the scientific waste audit methodology on the ground.
Addressing the gathering, Mohalik stated that such scientific audits transform volunteers into informed environmental guardians, generating credible data that can support policy advocacy, administrative action, and sustainable coastal management.
Eco Walk announced that similar plogging-cum-scientifi c waste audit awareness programmes will be conducted across Odisha’s coastline to build a comprehensive marine waste database and strengthen collective efforts toward ocean and biodiversity protection.
