Page 68 - Plastics News November 2019

in the news

GHMC partners with UNDP on 8,000 block level plastic waste
Plastic Waste Management management units on anvil

he Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation GHMC has he central government’s ongoing campaign against
Tpartnered with UNDP for Plastics waste management in Tsingle use plastic is set to initiate a series of
GHMC limit. As per the pact, the UNDP will invest for balers , measures to check the menace over the next few years.
Incinerators and establish a Swacchta Kendra at Yousufguda A committee of experts will soon be put in place for the
and Lower Tank Bund Transfer Stations and provide other same, and one of the first key measures planned is to
collect plastic waste at the block level, the official said.
Every village will be asked to start waste segregation
and send its plastic waste to the block level plastic
waste management unit. A plastic waste management
unit for gathering and recycling of plastic waste will
be set up in each of the 8,000 blocks in the country
as per the proposed ODF Plus — part two of the Open
Defecation Free mission steered by the drinking water
and sanitation department (MDWS) under the Jal Shakti
ministry that will dedicatedly look at gathering and
recycling of plastic waste, officials said. The Jal Shakti
required plastic waste management infrastructure in ministry is also looking at various ways to ensure that
DRCCs, fund for street vendor kiosks and assist GHMC these block-level units are sustainable and emerge as
on plastic waste management. A UNDP delegation led by business models. In order to reduce the plastic waste
Prabhjot Sodhi, Head, Circular Economy, today met GHMC management problem, we need to adopt the principles
Commissioner Lokesh Kumar and Additional Commisioner of waste prevention. The use of durable plastics need
Hari Chandana Dasari and signed an agreement on Plastic not be reduced, but we need to promote judicious use
Waste Management in GHMC limits. According to the and reuse of single-use plastics. If plastic compounds
recent United Nations Environment Programme report, are made more durable and if the general perception of
the world produces 400 million tonne single-use plastic consumers regarding the reuse of plastic and reduced
(SUP) waste annually (47 per cent of the total plastic disposal is changed, then the waste plastic problem
waste). It is estimated that only 9 per cent of the plastic
is getting recycled worldwide. Like any other country,
waste management is a pressing issue in India, especially
with the unceasing growth of consumerism throughout
the nation. Interestingly, almost 60 per cent of the total
plastic waste generated in India gets recycled while the
remaining escapes into the environment. However, most
of this plastic is down-cycled. At this juncture, India
needs robust and stringent waste management tools to
substantially improve the situation. For an effective nation-
wide Waste Management performance, it is imperative
for the government, local bodies and civilians to achieve can be sorted out.Currently, ragpickers and aggregators
a common target. Responsibility falls on the shoulders of do not bother much about single use plastic collection
the government to adopt a comprehensive strategy that as there is no value attached it. They pick up PET
can prevent the excessive generation of disposable plastics bottles as they are sent for recycling and hence help
and then ascertain techniques to sustainably manage end- aggregators get some money for it. The ministry has
of-life of their products. This includes paving a smooth begun discussing its plans with state governments.
legal roadmap for extended producers responsibility (EPR), The Swachh Bharat Mission already calls for waste
co-processing and incineration in the nation. management and this includes plastic.

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