Page 60 - Plastics News January 2020

in the news

Chennai launches online portal MSME directorate demands

for recyclable scrap 'exit policy' for plastic industries

n a bid to address the waste management issue in the irectorate of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises
Icity and reduce their carbon footprint, citizens of D(MSME) Director S Ziyaullah has asked government
Chennai have begun segregating waste and recycling non- to initiate an exit policy for 'plastic industries' to
biodegradable waste generated in their households every bail them out following plastic ban. Speaking at an
day.Madras Waste Exchange is a web portal-cum-mobile interactive session on the topic ‘Food Processing, Agri
application that facilitates the trading of recyclable non- Policy, and Labour Wage Code 2019’, organised by
Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA),
at District Small Industries Association, on Thursday,
he said, ''Since, the government has decided to ban
the production, sale and use of single-use plastic, in
order to make healthy environment, the later should
also initiate an exit policy for 'plastic industries' to bail
them out following plastic ban.'' He also insisted that
exit policy should be considered by the government
to safeguard the interest of the plastic manufacturing
industries.''The issues would be raised with both state
biodegradable waste by providing an online market to and central governments. This will help the government
purchase and sell recyclable scrap materials and recycled to formulate industrialist-friendly policies,'' he added.
products in Chennai. Developed under Smart City Mission, Further, while commenting on the interactive session,
the website, which is the first of its kind in India, was
launched by G Prakash, the Commissioner of the Greater
Chennai Corporation in Chennai. “The website is one of
many solutions to tackle the issue of waste management
in the city. Instead of tackling the issue in a traditional
way, we wanted to take a different approach so we came
up with the Madras Waste Exchange”, Azhagu Pandia
Raja M P, Fellow with India Smart Cities and one of the
three creators of Madras Waste Exchange said. As a part
of their fellowship, Azhagu and two others had studied Ziyaullah said the session was organised to understand
waste management in Chennai for months, where they the problems encountered by the entrepreneurs of
observed that while the amount of waste generated in MSME in the field and added that “once the problems
Chennai was huge, very little of it was being recycled. are discussed, the government will find it easy to
“There is a need for waste management and recycling, formulate the budgetary provisions for medium and
both of which are not connected. We found that there is a small scale industries. 'KASSIA will submit a proposal
mismatch and wondered if there could be a market place to the government immediately after identifying the
that could connect the two, following which the Madras solutions for problems,'' he asserted. Obtaining loans
Waste Exchange was created”, he said. Currently, plastic from banks, conditions put forth in the appointments
companies are expected to work with ULBs and strengthen of company sectary, the problems faced by the cashew
waste management. A credit or offset mechanism that lets industrialists, APMC and KSFC; increased interest rate
companies obtain credits for plastic waste management among others were the problems which were put
if they support municipalities in implementing waste forward by the participants. Earlier The government
management approaches it will provide the industry the made it clear that it never meant to ban single-use
necessary push. Under this mechanism, plastics collected plastics (SUP), but insisted on raising awareness and
and recycled will count for offsetting the EPR targets for pushing for recycling.
the company.
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