EDUCATION

An important aspect of our project is engaging the community. After interacting with key stakeholders such as bottle vendors, the municipal corporations and waste segregation units, we realised that for our project to be implemented effectively into Indian society, certain behavioural tendencies needed to be tackled. We wanted to understand the notions that drive people to consume PET bottles on a regular basis, and also influence the disposal strategies they adopt for the plastic waste they generate [1].

• Survey: Why the ubiquitous PET bottle is so convenient to use
  We thus started by conducting a survey for college students by circulating a Google Form. This was to understand the general mindset and create awareness of the prevalent problems of microplastic contamination and PET overuse. The consumption of PET bottles is increasing significantly every year. More than 14 lakh tonnes of PET plastic, which is commonly used to package bottled water, are consumed each year in India. On a single day,this amounts to more than 3,800 tonnes of PET plastic consumption [2]


Over 200+ individuals from all over India responded. The target audience were young adults who are more prone to using PET bottles.



A majority of the survey takers (over 80%) were aware of what PET plastic is. Despite this, over 50% users reuse bottles that say “crush after use”. This may be because of the fact that not all were fully confronted with the microplastic problem. Those who were somewhat aware of the problem did not really know how it could eventually lead to diseases like cancer, weakened immune system,subsequent allergies, and weakened nervous system.
Over 45% of the users opted for PET plastic bottles due to its cost, availability, convenience and most often, unavailability of other options. Even though the majority are aware about alternatives like bioplastics or reusable bottles and over 50% are ready to spend extra on it, it is not always a convenient option.

Conclusions from the survey

A clear picture emerges regarding consumer attitudes and preferences concerning PET plastic bottles and their alternatives.

• Approximately 80% of respondents across these surveys frequently opt for products packaged in PET, primarily due to its affordability and easy accessibility. However, there is a noticeable and growing awareness of sustainable alternatives, with roughly 70% of respondents expressing familiarity with bioplastics as a viable option.

• Moreover, the survey shows that people are willing to pay extra for products packaged in a more environmentally friendly manner than PET. This suggests a shift in consumer preferences towards eco-conscious packaging solutions.
• Over 75% of survey takers express concerns about the environmental and health impacts of PET plastic bottles, citing issues such as non-biodegradability and potential health risks from chemicals. This reflects a growing awareness of the negative aspects of PET packaging.

As the next generation of scientists, it is our duty to communicate the problems and potential solutions to the mass. Our project aims to look at potential solutions for the PET microplastic problem in India. Our efforts aimed at creating a holistic understanding of plastic pollution, specifically microplastic contamination, especially amongst youth and children. Through our initiatives, we want to encourage active dialogue and urgent action against the over-consumption of plastics, and motivate people to devise their own solutions to the problem.

• Budding in STEM: A guide to scientific communication
  In this session focused on scientific communication, our team talked about the “Feynman technique” of explaining complex ideas in simplistic ways, and conducted a paper reading and understanding exercise. Participants split into groups to present paper excerpts in simple terms, in the form of a gamified competition. The event concluded with enthusiastic presentations, fostering scientific communication skills. It was based on educating the new generation of the scientific community. The paper chosen for reading was based on “The effects of microplastics on human body” [3] enabling us to generate awareness of physiological facets of microplastic contamination.

Session presentation:Team IGEM VIT Vellore 2023 Budding in STEM

• The Trojan Horse effect: Understanding leaching and carcinogenicity of microplastics with iGEM UPatras
  The event was in collaboration with iGEM Patras who are currently working on cancer detection systems. We talked about the Trojan-horse effect of microplastics - their ability to adsorb and carry harmful chemicals such as heavy metals over long distances in water bodies. We thus discussed the negative impacts of microplastic leaching on the environment and specifically, water pollution. Special attention was drawn to the chromium tanneries near our university, and how microplastics could facilitate chromium pollution of freshwater sources. We noted the carcinogenic propensities of microplastics, and their role in cell damage and reactive oxygen species generation. Therefore, we were addressed the effects of microplastic leaching on individuals, as well as ecosystems.

Session presentation: Microplastics: The Trojan Horse Effect

• Net Zero Forum: Devising Solutions to Plastic Pollution
  The Net Zero Forum was a collaboration event between the Society for Biological Science (SBE)-VIT and AlChe-VIT. This was a 2-day competition where participants were given problem statements on the issue of microplastic contamination, with some addressing the “Plastic Paradox”, a conundrum based on human reliance on plastics for various economic and lifestyle needs juxtaposed with its harmful effects on the environment. This dilemma makes it difficult to phase plastics out completely. Participants were thus encouraged to find implementable solutions and alternatives to plastics.

Session presentation: IGEM VIT - Yantra 2023: Net Zero Forum

• Making an informative booklet with iGEM ASIJ
  The booklet titled “The Plastic Pestilence: Solutions from an Indian and Japanese Perspective” served as a comprehensive account of plastic pollution in both countries, and interventions against it. Each team described their solutions for the plastic paradox - with Team Asij focussing on bioplastics, and Team VIT on plastic degrading microorganisms. We provided a detailed list of plastic eating fungi and bacteria found in various Asian countries. The report included information of Asian crops used in bioplastic production, as well as upcoming bioplastic industries. We were able to showcase anti-plastic efforts taken by both Japan and India (governments, companies and other organisations) individually, and in collaboration with each other. These efforts included public initiatives, changes in legislation, and environment summits.

Link to the booklet: VIT X ASIJ - The Plastic Pestilence

• Investigating Microplastic Pollution from the Textile Industry: A Short Seminar
  The textile industry is a major contributor to pollution worldwide, and consequently has a significant role to play in microplastic contamination. This event focused on textile industries and their role as a significant microplastic contaminator. The textile industry's extensive use of synthetic fibers, such as polyester and nylon, results in the release of microplastics during production, washing, and wear, posing a threat to ecosystems and human health. We discussed a case study of pollution from tanneries near Vellore. We detailed sustainable production methods, for reduction of microplastics, and other methods to degrade microplastics, through enzymatic and chemical methods.

• NegPlast: Nurturing a holistic understanding of microplastic contamination with iGEM Stockholm
  To impart information about microplastic pollution, and its global scale, we organised an online conference with iGEM Stockholm. The event name, 'NegPlast' is a portmanteau of the terms 'நெகிழி' (Negizhi) in Tamizh and 'Plast' in Swedish, both meaning plastic. The event delved into the technical aspects of microplastic contamination, and its effects on marine life such as algae. It also focussed on tackling the problem, from scientific, industrial and governance points of view.
  

  Our speakers for the event ranged from high-school students, post-doc researchers, professors, industrialists to project managers at government institutions. We had with us

  • Lucia Royo and Ainara San Miguel: High-school students from Spain, working on a sound-based system to detect microplastics.
  • Dr Amitava Mukherjee: Professor and researcher at VIT University, investigating the effects of microplastics on algae. He also provided insight into reactive oxygen species generation and the “Trojan horse effect” of microplastics.
  • Dr Hoi Shing Lo: Post-doc researcher from Stockholm University, studying the effects of microplastics and other chemical contaminants on living organisms.
  • Dr Prassana Venkhatesh: Senior Research Analyst (Sustainability Program) at STEER Engineering Pvt Ltd. Bangalore, India. He talked about bioremediation based solutions for microplastics - primarily focussing on plastic degrading enzymes, like PETase and MHETase.
  • Dana Dedeck: A program official involved in water governance from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). She focussed on the “source to sea” approach of dealing with microplastic contamination, implementation strategies undertaken and challenges faced by the governance body.
  

  The event was attended by 63+ students from Stockholm and India, and culminated in an interactive question and answer session with the experts.

• Raising a voice against plastic pollution with Community Radio
  Adopting an innovative approach to reach out to the student community, we collaborated with the VIT Community Radio, a local student-run radio station. In conversation with them, we provided an overview of iGEM and our team’s project and informed the audience about increasing concerns of PET plastic pollution. The podcast episode talked about the media representation of plastics such as the Begley-Cohen Test, and discussed the scope of our problem. To extend our reach to local communities, we also recorded the episode in Tamizh.

Link to the podcast: https://spotify.link/PBBBDnn3MDb

• Cleanliness Drive at Katpadi Junction: A Joint Initiative with Indian Railways
  Our team initiated a clean-up drive in collaboration with the Indian Railways at Katpadi Junction on October 1st. We had over 100 volunteers from our university who worked together to clean the station premises. This helped us mobilise the common people to actively contribute in keeping their surroundings clean.

• 2-Day Dry Lab Modelling Workshop with Dr Saravana Prakash Thirumuruganandham
  To further equip students to tackle scientific data, iGEM VIT hosted a dry lab modelling workshop with Dr Saravana Prakash Thirumuruganandham, Professor, Mechatronics and Interactive Systems Research Center, Develpment and Innovation Institute, Indo-America Technological University, Ambato, Ecuador. Undergraduates, Post graduates and PhD scholars obtained fresh insights into in-silico analysis of proteins through this workshop. It provided knowledge of basics of molecular dynamics in protein folding, visualising proteins, analysing protein properties from simulations and the role of Hessian matrix in molecular biology.

• Comic Book: Illustrating the PET problem
  To cater to the imagination of children, a major target group, we created a comic book, building an Indian mythology based narrative around our problem statement and project. The comic reimagines the PET and MET molecules as demonic entities, “PETasur” and “MHETasur” (“asur” is a Sanskrit suffix, meaning demon). The story details the defeat of the demons using powerful weapons or “astras”, which symbolise our enzyme based solution. The comic promotes responsibility amongst consumers, calls for mass action, and pays an ode to environmentalists and scientists, specifically women in STEM.
  Our idea to create an Indian mythology narrative received support from Mr Manil, Founder of SustEnable, who told us that mythos is a great way to captivate the general audience, especially in India. We also received feedback from Ms. Jayasri Sridhar, a filmmaker and graphic designer from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad about our comic design. Ms. Jayasri provided multiple suggestions to make the comic more sensitive, inclusive and informative for children such that they understand the detriments of PET plastics.

Link to the comic: PETasur Vadha-IGEM VIT

• Outreach at Schools
  We conducted two informative seminars on synthetic biology and plastic awareness at the Jnana Sweekar Public School (Bangalore) and the Vailankanni Silver Jubilee School (Chennai). Students were explained basic terms related to genetic engineering like vectors, genes of interests, plasmids. They were given a brief overview of our project and told about the problem at hand, in depth. To ensure better understanding, we used our comic book as a tool to illustrate both our problem statement and our innovative solution.

While PET plastics are here to stay, the problems they pose to individuals and the environment can still be mitigated. By educating the masses about the far-reaching impacts of PET pollution, and engaging them through creative media and a variety of approaches, we seek to inspire them to make sustainable choices, and keep PET production and over-consumption in check.

References

[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/how-to-break-up-with-plastics-using-behavioural-science/
[2] https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/environment/number-story-india-chucks-around-3800-tonnes-of-pet-plastic-bottles-a-day-10777321.html
[3]Heather A. Leslie, Martin J.M. van Velzen, Sicco H. Brandsma, A. Dick Vethaak, Juan J. Garcia-Vallejo, Marja H. Lamoree, Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood, Environment International, Volume 163, 2022, 107199,ISSN 0160-4120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199.