Unique project by Army to sustain Sikkim's flora and fauna

GANGTOK: To sustain Sikkim's rich biodiversity, the Army's Black Cat Division has undertaken an environment pilot project for the collection and transportation of empty Tetra Pak cartons from its units deployed in Central and East Sikkim.

As part of the pilot project, the Black Cat Division has set up a compacting plant in Gangtok specifically for Tetra Pak cartons, an army press release said.

The cartons are collected after consumption of milk by Army Jawans stationed in remote and inaccessible areas of Sikkim, which are compressed into pallets in the compacting plant and transported easily to a recycling plant.

The compacting plant, set up at a cost of Rs 3.2 lakh, has been set up at Lower Tadong in Gangtok so that the local government bodies, NGOs and environment-concerned citizens can also send their empty Tetra Pak cartons, which can be responsibly disposed of by the Army.

About 4.5 lakh Tetra Pak cartons get accumulated in the Army units in Central and East Sikkim annually.