A plastic-free Ramadan to help the planet

A Ramadan who thinks about the environment. The holy month for Muslims, which began on March 22, will be celebrated this year in many places around the world with extra attention: single-use plastic will be banned during common evening meals. After the sunset prayer in the experience of theiftar the faithful break their fast to return all together to consume food: often this moment, carried out for example in mosques, involves the use of plastic forks and knives but also water bottles and other disposable products, given the large participation of people gathered to eat. A moment in which, without due attention, it is easy to accumulate plastic products, which as we know are extremely complex to dispose of (just 10% is recycled).

Considering that there are about 1.9 billion Muslims in the worldespecially in places where the plastic problem is particularly felt (such as Indonesia, bangladesh or Nigeria), the indication to use less plastic that comes from imams and mosques could therefore be decidedly effective in terms of reducing waste volumes.

Recently an article published in the magazine Plos One he remembered how 171 trillion plastic fragments weighing 2.3 million tons are now floating on the Earth’s seasa number that without international law enforcement measures is set to triple by 2040.

Furthermore, this plastic is often what enters the oceans through ten major rivers, most located in Asia, Africa And Middle East. Other data, for example relating to Malaysiathey tell how in the capital Kuala Lumpur alone, 40,000 tonnes of household waste were collected at the end of Ramadan last year (8,000 more than in 2021) and most of this was made up of disposable plastic and leftovers.

The idea of ​​using non-plastic utensils, or glass glassesor still carry water bottles from home, was proposed above all by the Muslim Council of Great Britain which asked the faithful to “take care of the environment” in this year in which, for the first time in Europe, to celebrate the beginning of Ramadan in London the lights were also turned on in Piccadilly Circus. The British initiative prompted other mosques and prayer centers to provide similar guidance against food waste or the consumption of non-compostable materials, from cutlery to plates.

Even in Italy in some places of prayer we have moved in this direction: for example the Islamic Center of Saronno opted for a Eco-friendly Ramadanwith a clear slogan dedicated to the faithful: “Bring your water bottle! – reads the message -. With our drinking water dispenser you can easily fill it and reduce the use of plastic. Help protect our Planet and do the your part for a more sustainable environment”.

For scholars, attentive behavior to environmental issues is part of the principles of the Koran itself, with respect for living creatures and the Earth. This is also why the number of Islamic environmental activists which aim to remind, sometimes through religious principles, the importance of protecting our planet, just as a strong sensitivity to the issue of the climate crisis is increasing among Muslims, the one that has contributed, for example, to intensifying the floods that devastated The Pakistan.

Meanwhile the British mosques initiative has been given its name Projects Against Plastic (PAP) and the hashtag was promoted, even in Parliament #PlasticFreeRamadan to raise awareness among citizens. Estimates indicate that, if the faithful adhere, in the approximately 500 mosques in the UK it will be possible to avoid the waste of 1.5 million bottles of water or 1 million plastic plates and cutlery, saving almost a tonne of waste per mosque.

Convinced of the importance of this project, the Muslims of the City are sure they can pave the way for a major change in the name of the environment. “No step – they say – is too small to try to find ecological ways to make our lives sustainable, no person is irrelevant in this journey”.