Page 58 - Plastics News January 2020

in the news

Report warns against non-plastics material assumptions

he use of non-plastics materials in the packaging fantastically innovative work being done by the plastics
Tindustry could be harming the environment because industry behind the scenes. Perhaps industry needs to
they have not been properly assessed, claims UK’s cross- communicate this more.
party Parliamentary group report. The report points to
assumptions being made by supermarkets, for example, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
which are selling more drinks in coated cartons in the
belief that they are recyclable. In reality only a third of Palike to clean up CBD twice a
those containers are being recycled. Other assumptions
include supermarkets selling “biodegradable” or day
“compostable” packaging, which in reality might only be
composted in an industrial composter. A vast majority of n a bid to keep the
consumers do not understand what the terms actually Icommercial areas of the
mean. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability city spick and span, the
for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), told BBC News Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
that plastics remain the most effective materials in many Palike (BBMP) will double
circumstances and that a coherent waste and resources its efforts to clean up the
strategy should be the priority. The UK government is Central Business District
launching consultations later this year on three policies (CBD). It will mean sweeping
including extended producer responsibility for packaging, and clearing garbage twice
the introduction of a deposit return system, and greater a day and deploying more
consistency for recycling and waste collections. A key pourakarmikas and auto tippers in these areas, to avoid
black spots. Currently, BBMP sweeps and collects waste
in the mornings. With the double shift, BBMP wants to
ensure efficient Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the
city. Such an initiative was started in Gandhinagar and
Chickpet wards to ensure that activities in KR Market do
not affect the collection and transfer of waste in the
area. The BBMP formed a committee comprising chief
engineers, superintendent engineers and executive
engineers from departments like Project Central, Road
Infrastructure, the SWM Joint Commissioner and others.
The committee finalized the roles and responsibilities
of engineers for visual cleanliness of major roads,
development will be that businesses will be responsible
for 100 per cent of costs for dealing with material when preparation of one-time estimate for clearing waste
it becomes waste, as opposed to the current 10 per cent. and regular maintenance of roads. The BBMP wants to
Consumer comments in response to this report were implement the same in the CBD (100 wards) of the city
on a case-to-case basis. “Once the proposed system is
enlightening, and one particular online commentator implemented, we will deploy an additional number of
stated: “Most plastics packaging is potentially recyclable. pourakarmikas and auto tippers in the CBD between
It isn’t all recycled because: Composite packaging is 2 pm and 10 pm,” a BBMP official said. D Randeep,
technically challenging; it isn’t collected terribly well; Additional Commissioner, Administration and SWM,
segregation is technically challenging; end market values said, “The instruction has come from Chief Secretary
are variable; local authorities range from adequate to T M Vijay Bhaskar. This will help us keep these areas
useless; consumers are confused and often disengaged; clean all the time. As CBD areas are always busy with
and the industry isn’t innovative.” Perhaps the latter activity, waste is generated all the time. Thus, there
point is more a result of consumers not being privy to the is a need to take up sweeping twice a day,” he said.

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