Let us rewrite the story on plastic pollution

This year’s theme, #BeatPlasticPollution, feels particularly timely. Many of us are living in a world where plastic is everywhere – light, durable, and convenient. But over time, this convenience comes at a heavy cost. As UNEP says in their 2023 report ‘Turning off the Tap’, globally, over 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, with two-thirds used for short-lived products that quickly become waste.’ Much of this ends up in landfill sites, rivers, and oceans. And increasingly, in our mountains.

I have seen it firsthand – plastic wrappers left behind on trekking trails, bottles floating in once-pristine rivers, burned waste at high-altitude camps. These are quiet reminders that no place is too far, too high, or too sacred to be spared from this scourge.

We also know that plastic pollution is more than just an eyesore. It clogs our rivers and drains, contributes to urban flooding, pollutes our soils and waters, and even enters our bodies through food and air as microplastics.

At the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), we collaborate closely with partners and communities across the Hindu Kush Himalaya to better understand and tackle the challenge of plastic pollution. We actively support initiatives that promote plastic-free tourism in protected areas by encouraging responsible trekking and tourism practices. This includes providing guidelines and raising awareness among tourists and operators to reduce single-use plastics.

We also work with local governments and communities to develop and implement tailored systems for plastic waste collection, segregation, and recycling that suit mountain and rural contexts. Our efforts have empowered youth to lead clean-up drives, recycling projects, and innovative solutions.

Across the region, we have seen many inspiring examples – schools transforming plastic waste into eco-bricks, women’s groups establishing collection centres, and municipalities piloting incentive programmes to encourage segregation and reuse.

Personally, this year’s theme has nudged me to look at my own habits too. I have become more conscious of how much single-use plastic sneaks into my daily life – packaging, takeout containers, even in household goods. I try to carry a reusable bottle and a bag, and say no to unnecessary plastic whenever possible. It is not always perfect, but I believe small changes add up, especially when they are shared and supported.

As a regional organisation, we are committed to doing more and practising what we preach: and have committed to becoming plastic-free in our operations. We see plastic not just as a waste issue, but as a development, health, and climate issue. We will continue to build regional knowledge, support cross-border action, and work closely with policymakers and communities to reduce plastic use and improve circular economy systems in the mountains.

But we cannot do it alone.

World Environment Day is more than a commemoration – it is a moment of collective reckoning and renewal. We cannot afford to treat plastic pollution as someone else’s problem or tomorrow’s issue. Every bottle left behind on a trekking trail, every discarded wrapper washed into a glacial stream, is a sign that we must act. I encourage all of us, whether we work in policy, science, education, or community service, to take stock of our own role. Let us support local efforts, rethink what we buy and discard, and advocate for systems that reward long-term thinking over short-term convenience.

We all have a part to play. And if enough of us commit, practically, consistently, and together, I believe we can change the story.

Happy World Environment Day!

Pema Gyamtsho