World Environment Day 2025: Actress and eco-warrior Dia Mirza Rekhi urges everyone to beat plastic pollution for their own health and to protect the planet.
Former Miss World, actress and environment crusader Dia Mirza Rekhi has urged global citizens to beat plastic pollution. While supporting the theme of World Environment Day 2025, she has highlighted the serious health impact of microplastics, and shares how giving up on plastic bottles a decade ago has helped her make a difference to the planet.
In a moving message posted on her Instagram page, Dia Mirza writes, “We are living through a crisis—not just of pollution, but of wasteful consumption. We take, we use, we throw away. And where does it all go? Into our oceans. Into the soil. Into the air we breathe. And now, into our own bodies. Microplastics have been found in blood, vital organs, breast milk, and unborn babies.”
Microplastics are essentially very small plastic particles, which come from the degradation of plastics. According to a study published in Environment & Health, the side effects of microplastic consumption may include the risk of oxidative stress, DNA damage, organ dysfunction, metabolic disorder, immune response, neurotoxicity, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity.
There are more reasons why Dia Mirza and a host of eco-warriors across the globe are urging people to give up single-use plastic consumption.
Check out her Instagram post here:
Dia even points out how animals are dying, entangled by plastics, or starving with plastic in their bellies. “Our ecosystems are suffocating under the weight of what we call ‘convenience’,” Dia asserts.
On her part, she committed to avoid using a single plastic bottle, bag, or disposable cutlery 10 years ago.
“Over a decade ago, I made a small decision. I stopped buying plastic water bottles, and started carrying my own refillable metal bottles. It was a personal choice. Easy and practical. But here’s the impact that one small change has helped avoid – over 10,000 plastic bottles from entering our planet’s ecosystem,” she shares.
She urges her social media followers to imagine the ripple effect that one simple change like that can create.
“This year, the theme to end plastic pollution is truly to inspire change… If I see someone with a plastic bottle, I show them my metal one, and smile. It’s not about judgment, it’s about planting a seed, because when people see you making a difference, they are more likely to join in. Let’s be honest. Plastic is cheap, convenient and everywhere. But that convenience comes with a terrible cost,” says Dia.
She hopes more people begin to carry a metal bottle, use a cloth bag, say no to single use plastic, and share their story.
“When your actions inspire others, that’s how movements grow. So this World Environment Day, let’s not just celebrate the earth. Let us protect her. Let us commit to change. Together, we can beat plastic pollution.”
