Page 60 - Plastics News August 2019

IN THE NEWS

Over 121,000 mt plastic waste Plastic manufacturing units
from 25 countries imported in under scanner in Bengaluru

India says Study
HDOWK RIÀFLDOV RI WKH %UXKDW %HQJDOXUX 0DKDQDJDUD
HPalike (BBMP) have begun spot inspections to
ore than 1,21,000 metric tonne (MT) of plastic waste ascertain if any plastic manufacturing units continue
MLV EHLQJ ´VO\O\µ LPSRUWHG LQ ,QGLD E\ FRPSDQLHV to function in the city. Recently, the Karnataka
and recyclers, which is adversely affecting the efforts State Pollution Control Board sent a list of 37 plastic
to curtail plastic pollution, according to a study. The manufacturing units in the city to the BBMP, with a
study, conducted by NGO Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay
direction to ascertain if they continue to operate.
The KSPCB had issued closure notices to these units.
$FFRUGLQJ WR KHDOWK RIÀFLDOV RI WKH XQLWV RQO\
are under the BBMP’s limits, while the others lay on
the city’s outskirts. Most units came under Dasarahalli
zone (10), eight in Rajarajeshwarinagar zone, six in
:HVW WZR LQ (DVW DQG WKH UHPDLQLQJ ÀYH DUH LQ WKH
other zones. A spot inspection revealed that 11 units
were either closed or had changed their trade. Some
Smriti Manch (PDUSM), stated that 55,000 metric tonne of the units had started manufacturing threads and
of plastic waste is being imported in India from Pakistan non-banned plastic items, such as packaging materials
and Bangladesh while the rest comes from more than 25 IRU LQGXVWULHV 2IÀFLDOV DUH \HW WR WUDFH WKH DGGUHVVHV
countries which include the middle east, Europe and the of nine units while inspection of the remaining units
USA,. The data is based on a study conducted between would be completed in a couple of days. Senior
April 2018 and February 2019. Terming the clandestine
import practice as unfortunate, environmentalists said it RIÀFLDOV VDLG WKDW WKH %%03 KDG UHTXHVWHG WKH .63&%
was high time the government cracked its whip on those WR DOORZ LWV UHJLRQDO RIÀFHUV WR EH SDUW RI WKH WHDP
responsible for it.According to the report by NGO Pandit conducting spot inspections. “However, this may take
Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Manch (PDUSM), 55,000 metric VRPH WLPH WR IUXFWLI\ :H ZLOO KDYH WR NHHS D ZDWFK
tonne of plastic waste was imported in India from Pakistan
and Bangladesh for recycling purposes. “Over 55,000 MT
plastic waste is imported from Pakistan and Bangladesh
combined. The import is taking place from more than
25 countries which include the middle east, Europe
DQG WKH 86 µ WKH 1*2 DIÀOLDWHG ZLWK WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI
Environment, said. Speaking on the issue, Indian Pollution
Control Association (IPCA) Chairman Ashish Jain said it
was unfortunate that on the one hand the government
was banning plastic and on the other, private companies
ZHUH ´VO\O\µ EULQJLQJ PRUH SODVWLF IURP RXWVLGH +H VDLG
the reason why such a practice was prevalent was that
plastic imported by the companies from abroad was on such manufacturing units to ensure that banned
segregated and cheaper than the plastic waste produced in
India. “The reason why recycling companies import plastic SODVWLF LWHPV GR QRW JDLQ HQWU\ LQWR WKH PDUNHW DJDLQ µ
waste it that they get this waste free of cost don’t have to WKH RIÀFLDO VDLG 7KH 6WDWHZLGH EDQ RQ SODVWLF LWHPV
pay for anything except the transportation charge. They came into effect in March 2016, following which the
have to pay to procure the Indian plastic waste which is %%03 LVVXHG D FLUFXODU LQ 0D\ À[LQJ WKH SHQDOW\ IRU
highly contaminated as there is lack of proper segregation manufacturing, supplying, storing, transporting, selling
KHUH µ KH VDLG and distributing, and using the banned items.

60
Plastics News August 2019 62