Plastic waste main polluter at Dimapur railway station, stadium: THC

An audit of the waste collected during The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) Nagaland 2025 conducted by five organisations at the railway station and state stadium here on May 29 has revealed that plastic waste is the main polluter, while single-use plastic and multi-layered plastics (MLP) are major contributors.
With Living For Environment (LiFE) as the lead organisation, and also the state coordinator for THC Nagaland 2025, YouthNet, E-Circle, Green Guard and Kuda Waste Solutions and volunteer partners conducted the waste audit post the cleanup in the state stadium.
Owing to the sheer volume of waste collected, financial constraints and adverse weather, only a fraction of the waste was segregated and audited. As most of the wastes were soiled, this affected the overall weight. LiFE compiled the data from both the sites and analysed it to share the findings to coincide with the World Environment Day.
As per the findings, plastic waste, specifically single-use plastic and MLP, emerged as the top polluters in both the sites. The analysis showed a difference in the consumption pattern based on the area, with railway station having more of tobacco/gutka products, while state stadium has alcohol.
At the railway station, 145 different brands/items were identified, which included e-waste, alcohol, food waste, etc. The top six polluters at the railway station were i) black plastic bag, ii) clear/transparent plastic bag, iii) disposable paper cup, iv) Shikhar, v) Signature, and vi) mobile phone tempered glass. Overall, the audit of the railway station waste showed plastic waste as the major polluter.
As the stadium area was divided into nine zones, the waste was huge and varied. As with the railway station, plastic waste dominated. However, despite being a dry state, the site provided ample alcohol samples. This posed another concern as the broken alcohol bottles could cause injury, which happened with one volunteer during the cleanup.
The stadium waste auditing revealed a staggering amount of black plastic bags (4,151 pieces), which was followed by clear/transparent plastic bags (2,847) pieces and disposable plastic cups (2,415 pieces).
Altogether, 363 pieces (bottles and cans) were collected, which weighed 101.80 kg. For alcohol, 29 brands were identified with Budweiser emerging as the most preferred brand.
Though less, eight soiled diapers weighing 4.71 kg were also found. These were found in an area within the stadium that was becoming an open dumpsite for the residents. LiFE in a press release warned of a “waste pandemic” that would have an irremediable effect on both the environment and public health if the mindset was not changed and sustainable practices were not adopted.