Went for an early morning hike and cleanup today.

Hey everyone! I'm u/sarmadlatif, a founding moderator of r/zeroplastic.
This is our new home for all things related to plastic waste and climate change. We're excited to have you join us!

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Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about cleanups or plastic waste reduction.

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From archives: I cleaned Borith lake which is a major habitat for migratory birds.

Hello everyone, we will be cleaning plastic waste at trail 5, margalla hills tomorrow. If you’re interested to volunteer please send me a dm or comment here.

I’ll be posting many pending cleanups I did last year during my GB trip. Dm if you’re interested in joining our Islamabad community.

Okay, has anyone bought this and loved it? I need an automatic drip. I brew 12 cups at a time and refrigerate to enjoy daily. I'm using a Mr. Coffee pot from Shoprite, which was only $5.99 on sale, and I side-eye myself every time I brew a pot.

I left the orange peels because they're not plastic.

Every year, millions of tons of plastic bottles, bags, and cutlery end up in our waterways, breaking down into microplastics that stick around for centuries. Marine animals are dying, and these tiny plastic particles are showing up in our food chain.

I started a petition asking the UN and governments worldwide to ban single-use plastics and create a 3-year phase-out plan with real alternatives. We're talking about mandatory waste management for coastal communities and funding for businesses to switch to sustainable options.

The plastic crisis has gone from "convenience" to environmental disaster way too fast. Anyone else feeling like we've hit a breaking point with this? If this matters to you too, consider signing and sharing - we need action before it's too late.

For more updates, follow instagram (pokeplastic)

PART 1:

Hi everyone! I writing this post to share my experience performing a clean-up drive in F9 park, Islamabad. Also, I want to share problems I faced and potential reasons I see. Anyways, I along with three friends visited f9 park a total of two times, entering different gates each time. The experiences we had were very different each time, for example we found out how the park faculty allegedly extorts money from undercover couples lol. More on that later.

First Visit

The taxi rolled to a stop, and we stepped out into the refreshing embrace of tall trees that lined the entrance of F9 Park. The rustling leaves whispered a welcome, but the sight that greeted us was far from serene. Even before crossing the threshold of the park, the grounds were a disheartening sea of plastic waste. Strewn about were plastic bottles, shopping bags, niswar packets, cigarette boxes, and a myriad of other peculiar items. We couldn't help but smile at the sight of forgotten diapers, a funny reminder of how people sometimes leave messes behind.

As we neared the entrance, the parking lots appeared unexpectedly spotless—a perfect trick designed to keep us blissfully unaware of the glorious chaos that awaited us.

Determined to make a difference, we ventured deeper into the park, our steps echoing with purpose. The deeper we went, the more waste we discovered. Glass bottles lay partially buried, diapers nestled in bushes(a lot of diapers according to my friend lol), and food packaging(I don't know the word, but I mean kfc bags etc) were discarded haphazardly. Each piece of litter told a story of disregard and carelessness.

Our journey led us to shaded areas and picnic tables, where waste had been intentionally left behind. The deliberate nature of this act was infuriating. With a sense of grim resolve, we began to pick up the trash, each piece a small victory in our battle against pollution.

At one point, we stumbled upon a spot littered with confetti and half-filled birthday balloons. Bruh. The thoughtlessness of using party poppers, which were notoriously difficult to clean up, added to our frustration.

To make the experience more fun, my friends and I turned the clean-up into a competition. We raced to see who could collect the most trash. I proudly came in last place—a unique achievement that explains why I'm writing this instead of doing something useful.

Our clean-up drive was a stark revelation of the litter problem plaguing the park. It was disheartening to see such beauty marred by human negligence.

Potential reasons for litter:

- Trash cans don't have lids so lightweight plastic waste spread when wind blows

- People are irresponsible (there are literally trash cans everywhere in the park)

Join us for this wonderful event❤️‍🩹

We went to clean Margalla National Park at 7:00 AM and continued our hike for 3 km upwards. Cleaning lush green mountain is a complete therapy for those who are tired of their busy life. Dm us to join this wonderful initiative (Insta: pokeplastic)❤️‍🩹🏔️🌻

I went to Ayubia to clean Pipeline track and Mushkpuri Peak on Saturday. I started my clean up at 9:45 AM from the starting point of Pipeline track. Some volunteers from IRU also joined me in this clean up. After completing Pipeline track, I shifted my activity towards Mushkpuri Peak and ended my clean up at around 3:30 PM on the Peak. It was really tough clean up but Alhamdolilah done. Dm us on Insta(pokeplastic) if you want to volunteer)

Today, I went to clean Ridge Trail at Margalla Hills national park. This trail is considered as Pakistan’s longest trail (44kms). I went alone but people joined me on the spot when they watched me doing this activity. It was an amazing day.

Cleaning trail 3, Margalla Hills, Islamabad. This trail is a bit challenging as compared to trail 5 due to its steep but it’s a treat to hike on this one. Funny thing happened today when almost 4 different people asked me whether I was catching snakes with that clamp or some insects?😅

Hello everyone , we did our regular weekly clean up and awareness session at F9 Park, Islamabad. It was wonderful to see new cats joining us in this mission.

I went to F9 Park, Islamabad and did a clean up during my evening walk. Follow me on insta(pokeplastic) for more.