Port Blair, Oct 03: India’s premier private ferry services, Makruzz, has made a network-wide commitment to eliminate single-use plastics on board all its ferries.
In an immediate pledge, Makruzz is placing a complete blanket ban on all disposable water bottles. Water will henceforth, be served upon request, in cups through water dispensers. Similarly, all cutlery used on board has been replaced with bamboo and other alternatives. Furthermore, PET bottles of other beverages such as soft drinks etc, has been replaced with aluminium cans.
On October 2nd, marking Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday, Makruzz sailed the World’s first ever plastic-free ferry. The milestone sailing is part of Makruzz’s ongoing commitment to the environment, and pledge to reduce single-use plastic usage by 100 per cent not just on-board, but across the entire organisation by the end of 2020. Passengers on board were provided with cloth bags, tips on travel solutions for plastic alternatives, shown informative documentaries on plastic and asked to pledge alongside with Makruzz, #iTravelPlasticFree.
By the end of this season, these initiatives are going to lead to an elimination of over 2 tonnes of plastic.
As part of Makruzz’s long term sustainability initiatives, the ferry will also work with local Environment Groups for environment clean-up programs, amongst other initiatives. This was evidenced, by the recent beach clean-up organised in conjunction with Indian Coast Guard at both, Swaraj and Shaheed Dweep.
