Page 65 - Plastics News October 2019

IN THE NEWS

No ban on single-use plastic, govt Bihar to use plastic waste for
aims to sensitise public constructing rural roads

KH JRYHUQPHQW KDV FODULÀHG WKDW LW GRHV QRW SURSRVH he Bihar government has now decided to use
Ta blanket ban on single-use plastic on October 2 and Tplastic waste for the construction of roads in rural
instead prefers a phased reduction in the use of plastic areas.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who conducted a
products, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and UHYLHZ PHHWLQJ RI WKH 5XUDO :RUNV 'HSDUWPHQW KDV
Climate Change C K Mishra said adding that what the DVNHG RIÀFLDOV WR PD[LPLVH WKH XVH RI SODVWLF ZDVWH LQ
government proposes is launch of a “mass movement the construction of rural roads, and at the same time
to sensitize the public against the use of plastic”. “The HQVXUH WKDW WKH TXDOLW\ RI URDGV LV QRW DIIHFWHG ´:H
have to improve our plastic waste management and
also ensure environment conservation is maintained.
At the same time, we have to see we do not have to
procure plastic from other states for making roads,”
said Nitish Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
who has set the goal to make India free of single-use
plastics by 2022, had appealed to the nation to stop
the use of single-use plastic in his speech on India’s
Independence Day. A Bihar rural works department
RIÀFLDO VDLG ´:H DUH VWDUWLQJ WKH SURFHVV ZLWK SODVWLF
UHF\FOLQJ SODQWV :H ZLOO EH QHHGLQJ DW OHDVW D GR]HQ
government does not propose a blanket ban on single- plants to generate adequate plastic that can be used
use plastic on October 2 and instead prefers a phased IRU URDG FRQVWUXFWLRQ :H KDYH EDQQHG SRO\WKHQH EDJV
reduction in the use of plastic products, what the but we still have other kinds of plastic waste, such as
government proposes is launch of a “mass movement PLON SDFNHWV WR UHF\FOH µ 7KH RIÀFLDO VDLG WKH VWDWH
to sensitise the public against the use of plastic.” He government was already seeking experts’ opinion on
IXUWKHU VDLG ´:H ZLOO DOVR VWDUW WDONLQJ WR LQGXVWULHV DQG making durable plastic roads.In March, an NGT bench
start exploring alternatives to plastic use. Industry has told the state government to seek immediate steps
already committed research on alternative eco-friendly for effective waste management or it would soon
material for manufacture of their products as a part of face an “emergency-like” situation. The Centre has
their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). As a part of
this mass movement, which will be a part of the Swacch
Bharat mission programme, villages and gram panchayat
as well as municipalities will collect plastic waste and
deposit it at one designated location. The eventual goal
is that plastic waste is not dumped on land or water but
recycled,” said Mishra. Single-use plastics, also referred
to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for packaging
and include items intended to be used only once before
WKH\ DUH WKURZQ DZD\ RU UHF\FOHG 8QGHU WKH 3ODVWLF :DVWH
Management Rules 2016, all producers that use plastic asked states to use plastics in at least 10 per cent
packaging for their products are required to collect of its roads, and had made it mandatory for all road
back an equal amount of plastic waste under the EPR developers in the country to use plastic waste for road
framework. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set construction after Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a professor
the goal to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022, from Madurai’s Thiagarajar College of Engineering,
had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-use suggested process of building roads with use of recycled
plastic in his speech on India’s Independence Day. plastic waste.

65
67 October 2019 Plastics News