3 Indian Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Tamarind Based Water Filter

Three Indian teenagers earned international recognition for developing “Plas-Stick”, a biodegradable solution designed to remove microplastics from water. Sixteen years old Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal and Avyana Mehta were named Asia winners of The Earth Price 2026 for their innovative environmental project.

The project utilises powdered tamarind seed waste to create a low cost electricity free filtration method specially designed for low resources community. The idea emerged after the students visited rural areas where they observed families drinking water from shared water containers without access to any advanced filtration systems.

Plas-Stick works by adding tamarind based powder to the contaminated water which attracts microplastic particles and cause them to form into larger clumps. These clumps can be removed using a handheld magnet. By using agricultural waste instead of synthetic chemicals, the students highlight how locally available resources can support environmental innovation and give a sustainable solution.

The student’s work address a growing global concern regarding microplastics, tiny particles less than five millimetres in size, being detected in human blood, lungs, placentas and even brain tissue. The team also collaborated with experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati during the development of the project.

The Earth Prize is recognised as the world’s largest environmental competition and “ideas incubator” for teenagers aged 13 to 19. While some reports on social media misstated the prize amount, officially the students collectively received an award grant of $12,500 to further their innovation.

The project is still in developing stages and Plas-Stick has not yet undergone large-scale independent scientific testing. The innovators explained that further experiments are required before the solution can be implemented on a larger scale.