Page 62 - Plastics News December 2017

IN THE NEWS

EDMC project for scientific CM Fadnavis plans a litter

disposal of plastic waste policy for Maharashtra

ast Delhi Municipal In a bid to tackle domestic
ECorporat ion in waste and stop plastic
collaboration with an NGO from entering the sea,
Indian Pollution Control chief minister Devendra
Fadnavis announced that
Association (IPCA), an NGO,
a marine litter policy will
has initiated a project for
be developed by the state
scientific disposal of multi-
government, a first in India.
layered plastics (MLP) City-based lawyer Afroz
as per the Plastic Waste Shah was joined by chief
Management Rules notified minister Devendra Fadnavis and Yuva Sena chief Aditya
in 2016 by Centre. EDMC Thackeray for the Versova beach cleanup on Sunday
commissioner Ranbhir Singh said that the NGO will collect afternoon. “Marine litter is major issue that is being
the multi-layered plastic waste from across the capital faced by coastal cities like Mumbai. We have asked
Afroz, as he is a lawyer, to survey this issue and frame
through ragpickers, who will be paid for the amount of
draft guidelines to tackle this problem under a marine
plastics they collect.
litter policy,” said Fadnavis.
According to the rules, it is the extended responsibility of
producers to collect and reuse plastic in best possible way. “Once Aditya Thackeray and I both get the draft
“That’s why IPCA has formed a consortium with various guidelines within the next few months, all legal
producers, who will extend full support in implementing procedures will be followed and Maharashtra will be
the project,” said Singh. the first state to develop such a policy.” “We thank the
CM and Aditya Thackeray for joining us in this attempt
SK Nigam, additional director and nodal officer for
plastic waste management, CPCB, said, “The collection, to rid our ocean from garbage. Our work has already
segregation, treatment and disposal of MLP is a difficult begun to track and survey how this marine litter policy
process and till now no institution or agency has achieved will be drafted. We will continue our cleanup in full
success in this area. The CPCB, in consultation with IPCA, swing,” Shah said.
is carrying this pilot study. Based on the results, we might CM Fadnavis joined Mumbai’s Versova beach clean-up
implement the concept at other places,” he said. The NGO drive, Massive amounts of sewage and trash generated
will collect the multi-layered plastic waste from across by Mumbaiites enter the sea daily. This garbage not only
the capital through ragpickers, who will be paid for the
amount of plastics they collect. lands up at city beaches, but pollutes several tourist
beaches along the western coast.Though citizen-led
The MLP will then be processed at the Ghazipur waste- beach clean-ups have made significant progress, a lot
to-energy plant. "EDMC will assist IPCA and provide our remains to be done. Garbage at beaches and lack of
infrastructure to ensure that multi-layered plastics are scientific waste disposal facilities still plague our city’s
disposed scientifically. These plastics have higher energy, beaches. Mumbaiites’ health is adversely affected by
which will be extracted through waste-to-energy plant at
Ghazipur," said Singh. both. The seas near Mumbai, Kerala and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands are among the worst polluted in
While the project is for pan Delhi, but Singh said that the world, according to a new study that mapped
only EDMC is a part of the project and not the other two marine pollution around the world. Seabirds and fish
corporations.The project kicked off under the banner "WE are severely affected by the marine litter.
CARE" (waste efficient collection and recycling).

Plastics News December 2017 62