Single Use Plastic Deathbed

The Single Use Plastic Deathbed is an art installation at Freedom Ghat on the bank of Ganga river near Laxman Jhula in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. It features three funeral pyres made from single use plastic waste. The installation was opened in December 2020.

Single Use Plastic Deathbed
Installation on the bank Ganga river
Map
30°07′28″N 78°19′47″E / 30.124389°N 78.329639°E / 30.124389; 78.329639
LocationFreedom Ghat, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
TypeInstallation
MaterialSingle use plastic waste
Opening date20 December 2020 (2020-12-20)

History edit

Climate activist Aakash Ranison organised six waste cleanup drives in various tourist places in Rishikesh with help of volunteers in September 2020. Some of the collected plastic waste was used to build the installation with support of the Rishikesh Municipal Corporation and local people to create the awareness regarding ill effects of single use plastic.[1][2][3][4] It was opened on 20 December 2020 on the International Human Solidarity Day.[2]

Installation edit

 
Funeral pyres displaying plastic waste

There are three funeral pyres measuring 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high.[3] Each of these pyres is made of 26 kg of single use plastic, equivalent to the average amount of plastic waste generated by one Indian citizen annually[citation needed]. Each pyre contains a different common type of plastic waste: disposable bottles, disposable food packages and plastic containers respectively. There is a mirror in front of the pyres, placed so that the viewer can see their own reflection while looking at the pyres.[1][2][5]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Death by Plastic: Climate Activist Builds Funeral Pyres Out of Bottles to Highlight Pollution". News18. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "A death-bed for plastic in Rishikesh has something to do with you". Condé Nast Traveller India. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Plastic Is Killing Humanity, With This Message, Deathbeds Made Out Of Single-use Plastic Have Been Installed In Rishikesh". NDTV. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  4. ^ Benu, Parvathi (1 February 2021). "Aakash Ranison has set up three deathbeds using plastic waste drawn from the Ganga to remind us of our plastic woes". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. ^ Mathai, Kamini (22 January 2021). "Climate change activist creates 'death beds' with single use plastic". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 July 2021.