In the high-altitude village of Lachen in Sikkim, entering with a plastic bottle is not as simple as it sounds. Vehicles are checked before entry, not for security threats, but for something far more pervasive — plastic waste. Visitors are asked to leave their plastic bottles behind. If they don’t, they may not be allowed in.

This small but firm rule stems from Lachen’s proximity to Gurudongmar Lake, one of India’s highest and most sacred glacial lakes. The village serves as its gateway, and protecting this pristine ecosystem has become a collective responsibility.

The urgency is hard to ignore. India discards 3,800 tonnes of PET plastic bottles every day, much of which ends up polluting rivers and lakes. Left unchecked, even fragile, remote ecosystems........

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