Page 74 - Plastics News July 2019

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KMF told to use containers for Single-use plastics to be banned

milk in Pudducherry from August

arnataka Milk Federation (KMF) will now have to shun he Puducherry government announced a total ban
Kplastics and tow the line on solid waste management. Ton the manufacture, sale and storage of single-use
The KMF has been told to supply milk in containers to bulk plastics in the Union Territory. The ban will come into
consumers instead of plastic sachets. The NGT’s Karnataka force from August 1, according to the Welfare Minister
State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) has made usage M. Kandasamy who, after a meeting with government
of reusable cutlery and in-house composting mandatory, officials, said that the ban would follow the pattern
among other major decisions.The committee, under the adopted in Tamil Nadu and ban would be on 14 types
chairmanship of of single-use plastics. Mr. Kandasamy said there would
Subash B. Adi, be no further postponement of the ban proposed
had convened "in the larger interest protecting environment". The
a m eeting government earlier deferred its decision to ban plastics
of hotels and from March 1 following representations from the plastic
choultry owners manufacturers association.The Cabinet on January 13
to discuss issues decided to ban manufacture, sale and use of single-use
pe rt a in in g plastics such as carry bags, plates, disposable cups,
to solid and sheets, straw, expanded polystyrene foam (popularly
plastic waste known as thermocol) and water pouches in the Union
management, Territory from March 1. The Minister said that the
appraise them about the necessity of implementation of association of plastic manufacturers had also accepted
the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and the plastic the implementation of the ban from August 1 since it
ban. Among those who participated were D. Randeep, was an environmental risk. Earlier, the government
Special Commissioner, BBMP and Manoj Kumar, Member decided to defer its decision to ban single-use plastic
Secretary, KSPCB. M.T. Kulkarni, Director, Marketing, KMF, items from March 1. The move was opposed by traders
said the Federation will work towards implementing the and plastic manufacturers, but found a good amount
direction. He said bulk consumers, such as restaurants of support from residents’ associations and from even
and hotels, are supplied milk in ‘jumbo’ plastic sachets a section of retail outlets. Talking to reporters here,
of 6-litre capacity, of less than 50 micron thickness. A Kandasamy said he has explained to the merchants and
senior KMF official said that earlier, containers were
used, but replaced with sachets as using containers led
to cost escalation and distribution issues. “Supplying milk
in containers will essentially mean having to get back
these containers, washing them for the next day’s supply.
Besides, containers are prone to damage. This adds to the
cost of milk,” the official said. Currently, the Federation
sells 38 lakh litres of milk each day through plastic sachets.
With the development of a new manufacturing unit at
Hassan, Kulkarni said that they will phase out sachet
production by manufacturing 5 lakh PET bottles per day. producers that there would be no more extension of the
“At the moment we cannot recycle our plastics because date of ban and it would come into effect from August
we do not have the machinery to do so, but it is a step 1. He said there had been sustained representations
that we will have to take in the future,” he said. Kulkarni from various quarters that plastic products, including
added that the Federation had rejected the use of glass non biodegradable carry bags, be banned to protect
for packing, citing minimal production of glass in India. the environment.

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