2k utensils in IIEST plate bank to reduce plastic use, waste on campus

Time of India

07-06-2025

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Kolkata: IIEST Shibpur established a plate bank comprising 2,000 sets of reusable steel utensils as a step towards sustainability and a solution to waste management on the campus.
The initiative is probably the first of its kind in any institute of national importance and aims to promote eco-friendly practices and minimise the use of single-use plastics and disposables during campus gatherings.
IIEST director VMSR Murthy said, "The institute, in collaboration with Adyama Chetana Foundation, took this step to foster environmental consciousness and green practices in academic spaces as part of green and clean campus programmes.
It is a first-of-its-kind initiative among all IITs and NITs in the country."
According to him, around 1,000 sets of cutlery already arrived, and another 1,000 sets will arrive soon. "Throughout the year, different events are organised in the institute, and most of the time, plastic containers and disposable cutlery are used, generating huge amounts of waste. We want to change and avoid the 'use and throw' concept.
Therefore, the plate bank was established to promote green dining for zero-waste events on the IIEST Shibpur campus.
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The plate bank is housed in a room, which was once a telephone booth, near the second gate of the campus. It was inaugurated last Wednesday in the presence of officials, students, alumni, and industry personalities. Utensils worth Rs 5 lakh were bought.
IIEST board of governors chairperson Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, who is also the chairperson of Adamya Chetana, said that the initiative will not only be limited to the campus but will spread outside as it has a larger purpose of impacting the community by collaborating with alumni and spreading awareness in the neighbourhood.
"People in the vicinity can rent cutlery from our plate bank free of cost. They will have to keep a deposit at first to rent the utensils, and once they return it after washing, the money will be refunded.
This is to target community engagement and spread a consciousness to hold zero-waste events," said Kumar.
She shared that apart from the plate bank, there are also plans to promote sustainability and adopt other eco-friendly practices like making compost from household waste, workshops, and training on the preparation of chemical-free soaps and detergents, and bio-enzymes.