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Activism works. That is the key takeaway for one Scout and Guides leader in eastern India’s Bihar State.

Rituraj, who goes by one name, is an active campaigner for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-led Tide Turners Challenge, a global youth movement that fights plastic pollution. This year, the 33-year-old emerged as one of the campaign’s leading lights, single-handedly encouraging 50,000 young people to join a drive to rid their neighbourhoods of single-use plastics. Not only that, Rituraj has also won government backing to set up programmes to raise awareness of plastic pollution in every school in Bihar, which is home to 123 million people.

“I strongly feel that transformation can only happen when we get the youth and community to collaborate on finding solutions,” he said. “We need to ensure that our society rids itself of single-use plastic products so that we can free beautiful Mother Earth from this plastic menace.”

While Bihar State is landlocked, large amounts of plastic waste contaminate its rivers – principally the Ganges, which courses through 400km of Bihar – and ends up in the ocean. Plastic pollution is also an eyesore and health hazard, with toxic fumes released during routine burning of rubbish aggravating air pollution. Single-use plastics are a major contributor to this pollution.

The problem is not unique to India, however. Humanity produces 300 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, of which about 8 million tonnes ends up in the ocean. In the last 50 years, plastic production has increased more than 22 times. Yet in 2015, only an estimated 9 per cent of plastics were recycled. 

Along with organizing clean-up drives, Rituraj has lobbied governments to join the fight against plastic. In April, he petitioned top government officials in Bihar and to his surprise, just two months later, the state banned the production and distribution of a range of single-use plastic products, including cutlery, water pouches and flags. Social media was abuzz with the news and many senior government officials lauded the efforts of Scouts and Guides in helping to bring about change.

“Rituraj is a great example of how local youth activism can drive nature-positive change,” says Gayatri Raghwa, UNEP’s Tide Turners Challenge coordinator in India.

During celebrations marking 75 years of Indian independence,  Rituraj spoke about Tide Turners in Bihar. Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav praised the initiative. The message got back to Bihar state officials and in October they endorsed Rituraj’s plan to have 15 anti-plastic campaigners in every school (Rituraj calls them “plastic warriors”).

“Rituraj has brought about a qualitative change in the thinking and behaviour of people through his single-use plastics eradication campaign,” said Samar Bahadur Singh, District Education Officer in Vaishali. “Congratulations to him for being instrumental in forming ‘plastic warrior’ teams in schools.”