Walk along any public space in Rajsamand — a roadside, a riverbank, the base of a hill — and you will encounter it. The crackling, fluttering, accumulating presence of single-use plastic. Bags, bottles, wrappers, sachets. The material that never truly goes away.

India generates approximately 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. Much of it escapes the waste management system entirely, ending up in soil, waterways and eventually the ocean. Microplastics have now been found in Himalayan glaciers, in the blood of unborn children, and in the digestive systems of fish from the deepest ocean trenches.

The Local Picture

In Rajsamand, plastic pollution has specific local consequences. Roadside plastic clogs drainage channels, increasing waterlogging during monsoons. Plastic debris in water bodies like the Rajsamand Lake harms aquatic ecosystems and degrades the beauty of one of Rajasthan’s most historic landmarks. Animals — particularly cattle — ingest plastic bags with devastating consequences to their health.

Circle CAA’s clean-up drives have collected hundreds of kilograms of plastic from public spaces. But we know that clean-up alone is not the answer. The waste stream must be interrupted at the source.

What Actually Works

Evidence from successful anti-plastic campaigns around the world shows three things that make a lasting difference: extended producer responsibility (making manufacturers accountable for their packaging), behaviour change through social norms (making littering socially unacceptable), and accessible alternatives (ensuring that cloth bags, steel bottles, and reusable options are affordable and available).

At Circle CAA, we focus on the social norms piece — through awareness campaigns, school programmes, and community dialogue that shift attitudes and expectations around plastic use. We also advocate for better local waste management infrastructure.

Your Role

Carry a cloth bag. Refuse single-use plastic straws. Bring your own bottle. Participate in or organise a local clean-up. Talk to your local shopkeepers about alternatives. These are not small actions — they are signals that shape the social norms that ultimately drive systemic change.