Page 64 - Plastics News October 2019

IN THE NEWS

Katraj dairy to set up plastic Plastic out, bottles from home
recycling unit in Pune back as Parliament goes green

atraj dairy has decided to start a plastic recycling plant fter three unsuccessful attempts, Parliament
Kin order to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the AKDV ÀQDOO\ VWRSSHG WKH XVH RI SDFNDJHG GULQNLQJ
city and has approached the Pune Municipal Corporation water bottles and other disposable plastic items on its
(PMC) seeking necessary permissions.Vishnu Hingane, premises. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s action against
single-use plastic has earned praise from a large number
of MPs, but sceptics still wonder how sustainable the
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involved in the purchase of water bottles that were
widely used in the Parliament complex, an average of
2,000 bottles of Rail Neer, a product of Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation, were bought daily.
The annual supply of more than 600,000 bottles
suddenly came to a halt following a circular issued
on August 19 on “total prohibition of use of plastic
bottles and other plastic items within Parliament House
FKDLUPDQ .DWUDM GDLU\ VDLG ´:H KDYH GHFLGHG WR VWDUW complex”. Glasses of water have replaced bottles in all
a plastic recycling plant to cut down on the amount of PHHWLQJV DQG PRUH RIÀFLDOV KDYH VWDUWHG EULQJLQJ ZDWHU
plastic waste generated in the city. The unit will have a ERWWOHV IURP KRPH ´7KH VHFXULW\ RIÀFHUV DUH FKHFNLQJ
capacity of recycling 2,00,000 plastic milk packets on a if people are bringing plastic wraps or single-use plastic
GDLO\ EDVLV :H KDYH DSSURDFKHG WKH 30& IRU ODQG DQG bags. They are reminded of the order and requested
other necessary permissions.” Dnyaneshwar Molak, joint QRW WR EULQJ DQ\ VXFK LWHP LQ IXWXUH µ D VHQLRU RIÀFHU
municipal commissioner and in-charge of the PMC solid involved in Parliament’s security said on condition of
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WR DOORFDWH ÀYH JXQWKD XQLW RI ODQG PHDVXUHPHQW IRU big water dispensers will be installed in large numbers
the recycling plant of the entire milking association in
Pune. However, the association must agree to take up
the responsibility of maintaining and running the plant.”
The state government imposed a ban on usage of various
kinds of plastic on March 23, 2018. Ramdas Kadam, state
environment minister on his visit to Pune on September 15,
stated that the government has failed to implement the
ban properly, which is the reason why we still see plastic
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Despite the ban, plastic is still used in the market on a
daily basis and 30 per cent of the same is in the form of across the Parliament building, library and the annexe
plastic milk packets. On a daily basis, one tonne of plastic to make it easier for people to get drinking water.
in the form of milk packets is generated in the state,” “Thousands of paper cups will also be made available
said Kadam. If we collect these bags and recycle it, then every day along with the dispensers,” said a close aide
at least one tonne of daily plastic waste will be reduced, to Birla. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set the
he added. Post this appeal, Katraj dairy decided to install goal to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022,
a plastic recycling unit in the city. In Pune, nearly 15 lakh had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-
litres of milk is sold daily in plastic pouches. use plastic in his speech on India’s Independence Day.

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