Plastic ban: Industry promises to recycle used plastic, but is it easy to do?

Manufacturers plan to ask ragpickers and raddiwalas to sort the waste. Representation pic

Plastic manufacturers have grand plans to turn your trash into plastic money. The Plastic Bag Manufacturers Association of India has appealed to the government to let them create a system that will reward citizens for recycling plastic. They plan to rope in both ragpickers and raddiwalas to gather and sort the trash for recycling.

"We will create value for every kind of plastic and make it recyclable." This is the promise of plastic manufacturers who have put a proposal before the government to ensure that plastic is recycled instead of being dumped in drains or landfills.

"Just like people get money for wastepaper and scrap metal, we want to recycle and reuse plastic in the same way. This system will ensure that people recycle plastic, as incentives are involved," said Neemit Punamiya, general secretary of the manufacturers' association.

"As for plastic that cannot be recycled, we are in the process of approaching those who can use such trash. There is an organisation in Pune that converts plastic waste into fuel; we have approached them already," Punamiya told mid-day.

Ideas in the (plastic) bag
The association has several different ideas to ensure better collection of plastic waste. The organisation's members claimed that they will start a pilot project under which grocery stores will collect plastic from citizens and pay them.

In a meeting held with government officials early last week, the association also proposed roping in raddiwalas for plastic collection. So, the next time your local raddiwala comes home to collect old newspapers, don't be surprised if he asks for your plastic trash too. The association promised that the collected trash will be completely recycled, and the manufacturers will pass on the incentive to the grocery stores and raddiwalas.

The association has further proposed to set up additional waste banks where dry waste will be collected and segregated. For this, they plan to enlist the help of ragpickers, and have promised to give them handsome incentives as well. The manufacturers have proposed to set up this system on pilot basis at Mumbai, Pune, Kalyan and Dombivli, Latur. A Chief Minister-appointed committee will study the feasibility of such a plan.

Food for thought
Just like milk pouches are exempt from the plastic ban, the association has requested that plastic packaging for food grains and food items like fruits and vegetables should also receive the same lenience. As per the association, the annual per capita use of plastic bags in Maharashtra is around 650 pieces. Of these, over 350 plastic bags are used for packaging edibles, including sugar, flour, pulses, vegetables and fruits.

According to sources, CM Devendra Fadnavis has formed a committee and instructed it to discuss the issue with the industry and consumers and submit a workable plan. Despite repeated attempts to contact them, neither Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam nor Satish Gawai, additional chief secretary of the environment department, was available for comment.

Green warriors say
Rishi Agarwal, prominent environmentalist, said, "The Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2016, specifically state that there should be material recovery centres, and that ragpickers should be used to handle and segregate the waste. Even without a ban, and just by following these rules, more than 50 per cent of the plastic problem will be solved immediately. Whatever the association is saying is not new, but the municipal corporations are yet to implement it in totality."

Environmentalist Kedar Bhide, said, "I don't think this is a feasible option for consumers. However, it can be tried with commercial plastic, such as monsoon tarpaulin, big packaging products. In such cases, people keep reusing the plastic. It is important that citizens change their habits; only a plastic ban will reduce pollution."

33.5k
Plastic (in metric tonnes) consumed in state in 2017-18

650
Per capita consumption of plastic bags

54%
Plastic used to pack food

03
No. of months in which state will enforce ban

8k
No. of industries that will be affected

Also read: Women come together to make eco-friendly bags in the wake of the state-wide plastic ban

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