Page 44 - Plastics News September 2018

FEATURES

Plastic in municipal solid waste is down by 50 per cent

nil Diggikar, Principal Secretary in the state environment Do you think that local civic bodies are going slow in
Adepartment, says the ban on plastic has begun to show taking action against the violators?
results. He speaks about plastic bags still in circulation, It is true that initially, as per the High Court’s directions,
buyback mechanism for multi-layered packaging material,
plastic bottles and milk pouches. action against individuals was not initiated. But people
at large have welcomed the ban on plastic. Awareness
programmes are being conducted by local authorities and
it seems that the use of plastic bags and banned items are
gradually stopping.
A large number of non-woven polypropylene bags and
bags with tags ‘I am not plastic’ or ‘compostable bags’
are in the market. Are these bags allowed?
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bags’ are not allowed. However, compostable bags are
allowed only for plant nurseries, horticulture, agriculture,
handing of solid waste. Bags or sheets used for this purpose
For more than a month now, after the amended VKDOO SURPLQHQWO\ KDYH WKH ZRUGV ´H[FOXVLYHO\ IRU WKLV
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plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items have come FRPSRVWDEOH SODVWLF FDUU\ EDJV VKDOO REWDLQ D FHUWLÀFDWH
back into circulation. What is the reason for this? from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) before
marketing or selling it for this purpose. In order to guide the
Bags that were already in stock with retail shopkeepers
public at large about the banned and unbanned plastic and
RU KRXVHKROGV KDYH FRPH EDFN LQWR FLUFXODWLRQ :H KDYH thermocol items, a booklet showing pictorial information
closed all factories that were manufacturing the plastic
has been published and already posted on MPCB’s and
EDJV :H KDYH DOUHDG\ LQVWUXFWHG DOO WKH ORFDO ERGLHV WR environment department’s website.
take stringent action against use of plastic bags. It would
be proper to state that plastic garbage has considerably The government has allowed ‘compostable plastic bags’
reduced in the state. The environment minister conducted only for handling certain items. But there are fewer
a review meeting in July about the status of implementation PDQXIDFWXUHUV IRU LW DQG WKH FHUWLÀFDWLRQ SURFHVV ZLWK
the CPCB requires six-seven months. How do you plan
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to tackle this?
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and municipal commissioners of civic bodies through There are 10 manufacturers already in the market which
video-conferencing. It was reported by the municipal KDYH REWDLQHG WKH FHUWLÀFDWH IURP WKH &3&%
corporations that there is a 40-50 per cent reduction 'HVSLWH H[WHQGLQJ GHDGOLQHV WLOO -XO\ WKH EX\EDFN RU
in plastic waste in municipal solid waste and, in some depository scheme for plastic bottles and milk pouches
local bodies, this has reduced by up to 75 per cent. All hasn’t yet started. Is an extension being considered?
enforcement authorities have been directed to implement
PET bottle manufacturers have already started printing
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initiate action against defaulters as per the provisions. It buyback price on bottles. The preliminary meeting with
is reported by the municipal authorities that around Rs some of the dairy manufacturers was conducted at
the MPCB level. There is no extension of deadline for
ODNK LQ ÀQHV KDYH EHHQ FROOHFWHG VR IDU IURP YLRODWRUV buyback scheme.
especially from shopkeepers, retailers and stockists.

Plastics News September 2018 44