DIMAPUR: The annual Himalayan Cleanup (THC 2026) was observed in Dimapur on Saturday by Living For Environment (LiFE) in partnership with the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dimapur Division, and supported by SBM U, Nagaland.
Unlike last year’s large scale public campaigns, this year’s initiative focused entirely on reclaiming an open dumpsite at the Forest Office Complex ground. The targeted drive was aligned with the World Environment Day theme, “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,” to restore natural spaces, track climate disrupting plastics and safeguard the future.
Conceived in 2018, THC has grown into one of the largest collective actions against plastic pollution across the Himalayan states. Unique in its approach, the cleanup incorporates a detailed waste and brand audit to identify corporate contributors to plastic pollution.
The drive began at 6 a.m. with 24 participants, including six LiFE team members and 18 volunteers from NEISSR, Salesian College of Higher Education, Pro Rural, the Forest Department and independent individuals. During the exercise, a volunteer was pricked by a discarded syringe needle and rushed to hospital for precautionary treatment.
Altogether, 23 sacks of waste weighing 261.521 kgs were cleared from the dumpsite. A detailed audit of six sacks weighing 50.886 kgs revealed that single use disposable plastics dominated the litter, with nearly 400 items tracked. These included 107 BioGlobal disposable plates (5.720 kgs), 183 plastic spoons and forks (0.435 kgs), and 106 disposable food containers (1.91 kgs).
In terms of brand accountability, Shikar Pan Masala (76 wrappers) and Signature (60 packets) emerged as the most prevalent offenders. Alcohol packaging was also visible, including 20 plastic quarter bottles of Magic Moments (750 grams) and 12 of AC Black (485 grams). Ironically, an outside breakfast arrangement for the team generated an additional 25 pieces of compostable waste weighing 325 grams.
Reflecting on the drive, Project Coordinator Chüthuzhüni Chache (Zheni),) of LiFE said blind dumping practices pose severe threats to public health and the environment. Commenting on the audit, she noted that the sheer volume of single use items, even those introduced externally for convenience, highlights how entrenched disposable culture is in daily life. While the surface of the dumpsite was cleared, she cautioned that layers of embedded legacy waste remain a long term challenge.
