Page 34 - Plastics News March 2026
P. 34
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
living with the impacts of plastic pollution every edge of Indigenous Peoples are not sidelined in
day. Indigenous Peoples participation is essen- favour of polluter interests.
tial to ensure lived realities; the rights and knowl-
Source - https://interplasinsights.com
PLASTIC TRASH TO CASH’ MODEL EMERGES
AS REVENUE SOURCE IN BENGALURU
credits between December 2025 and January
2026, which could translate to a revenue of be-
tween `54 lakh and `1.8 crore if sold at the cur-
rent rates.
This initiative has reportedly led to a dramatic
increase in the collection of RDFS, which has ris-
en from a mere 10 metric tonnes a day to 520
metric tonnes a day following the awareness
campaign and better segregation of the waste
at the source. In the period between October
2025 and February 2026, the city collected al-
engaluru has introduced a model to con- most 19,470 tonnes of RDF, of which more than
vert non-recyclable plastic waste into 18,600 tonnes was sent for co-processing at a
Bfuel and EPR credits, generating revenue cement plant in Andhra Pradesh.
while improving waste management efficiency.
As per the EPR mechanism, for every ton of
Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited plastic being co-processed, BSWML earns one
(BSWML) has launched a new initiative to start credit, which amounts to approximately `2,500.
making money from plastic waste that cannot After deducting the transportation cost of about
be recycled. Instead of sending all non-recy- `1,500 per ton, the net benefit for every ton of
clable plastic to landfills, they collect waste and plastic being co-processed amounts to about
turn it into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). RDF is ba- `1,000.
sically a combination of non-recyclable waste,
and transform them into Extended Producer The model has assisted in cutting down on the
Responsibility (EPR) credits, as per the Plastic reliance on the waste-to-energy plant in Ben-
Waste Management Rules. Under India’s Plas- galuru, located near Bidadi, as the dispatch of
tic Waste Management Rules, companies that wastes to the cement plant on a daily basis ex-
produce plastic are required to ensure a certain ceeds the plant's capacity. The strategy, it is be-
amount of plastic waste is properly processed. lieved, will place the city's waste management
BSWML was able to accumulate 3,600 EPR system in a more financially viable state while
34 PLASTICS NEWS March 2026
