GTA Mosques aim for a waste-free Ramadan
Toronto Muslims are looking to reduce waste this Ramadan by replacing disposable water bottles with reusable ones in the mosques.
“I couldn’t help but notice that Mosques become trashed with disposable plastic waste – particularly during Ramadan,” Tariq Syed, a founder of the #WasteFreeRamadan campaign, told IQRA.ca. “After fasting the full day, it’s understandable Muslims want to keep hydrated between prayers, but there are so many problems with using disposable bottles.”
“Disposable bottles are rarely recycled and are often left at Mosques for staff to clean up.”
TorontoMuslims launched the campaign in mosques across the Greater Toronto Area this Ramadan which started on Saturday, May 27th.
“For several years, I wanted to bring to life the idea of banning disposable bottles at Mosques,” Syed said. “I told myself there could only be much benefit in implementing sustainable practices within our community.”
“Alhamdulilah, it was worth the time and effort! 10,000 Eco-Friendly reusable bottles are already being distributed across the Mosques as we speak now.”
In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, and marital relations between dawn and sunset.
Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.
After breaking the daily fast, Muslims attend the mosques for the night prayer which is followed by the Salaatul Taraweeh prayers performed during Ramadan.
Given that these prayers can last for over an hour, many Muslims carry water bottles to the mosque during this time so that they can keep hydrated.
“The goal is to help our Muslim community make its mark in the fight against global warming and carbon emissions,” said Tariq Syed. “We’ve been blown away by the positive response and massive success of #WasteFreeRamadan.”
“I sincerely hope our community can adopt awareness on beating environmental degradation and increasing sustainable practices (for example, reducing, reusing and recycling).”
Tariq Syed is looking for young Muslims to share ideas on how they can make their Ramadan practices more eco-friendly and to help spread the message of the campaign through social media.
“Young people can become involved in the #WasteFreeRamadan by sharing on social media how they plan to make their Ramadan 2017 more Eco-conscious,” he said. “Of course, make sure to pledge against using disposable bottles and instead opt for our reusable drinking container.”
“Our eco-conscious Mosque partners are now offering our bottles to their congregants. It’s a nice-looking bottle.”
Syed is also appealing to community members to support the campaign with a financial contribution.
“Please help chip-in through WasteFreeRamadan.com,” he said. “Every dollar counts towards bringing free water to fasting individuals.”
“In this process, we’ve also learned so much,” Syed added. “Now more than ever, we’re so excited to launch a bigger environmental campaign next year!”
To support the campaign, visit: