Creation of vertical gardens by the Income Tax Department by using waste plastic bottles
By PIB Delhi
The Income Tax Department has come up with a unique idea that addresses the concerns of plastic waste and the creation of green spaces in urban areas. This is the concept of making vertical gardens or green walls by using waste plastic bottles, an initiative being spearheaded by IRS officer Shri Rohit Mehra. He has executed this idea by using waste plastic bottles as containers for making vertical gardens on the walls of government buildings. It addresses the above twin issues simultaneously by recycling the waste plastic and reusing it for a positive purpose.
This has been replicated in many government buildings, including the offices and guest houses of the Income Tax Department at various places in India. It not only reuses plastic but also helps in the substantial reduction of surrounding pollution, apart from improving the aesthetics of the buildings. To date, this initiative has led to the reuse of over 7 lakh waste plastic bottles and the planting of over 7 lakh plants. So far, 900 such vertical gardens have been created in 17 Indian States and more than 50 districts in India. This has led to the reuse of 70 tons (approx) of single-use waste plastic, which otherwise would have gone to landfills.
Further, the largest vertical garden in the country made with waste plastic bottles has been created at the Income Tax Office, Ludhiana. It covers an area of 10,135 square feet and has also found a place in the Limca Book of Records.
The Department has also amplified this initiative by collaborating with other organizations and institutions to create vertical gardens. Such gardens have been created at Schools, Colleges, Gurudwaras, government buildings, IITs, Court-premises, Police stations, Prisons, Corporate Houses, Industrial-Houses, Hotels, Bridges, flyovers, etc. The cities presently covered under this initiative are Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Roorkee, Bhatinda, Sangrur, Patiala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Vadodara, Delhi, Surat, and Mumbai.
