Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake on Monday said the government plans to set up a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Board along the lines of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board.
Speaking after inaugurating CanPlast 2014 organised by Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Association here, Mr. Sorake said waste management had attained greater significance these days and many urban local bodies (ULBs) lacked the expertise in garbage disposal.
Bengaluru, once known as the garden city, was turning out to be a garbage city, the Minister said, adding that the government was confident of finding a solution to the problems at Mandur village near Bengaluru where garbage disposal had become an issue. ULBs, which still continue with land-fill dumping method of garbage disposal, needed to focus on scientific disposal of waste. The proposal for SWM Board gained relevance in this context, Mr. Sorake said.
The Minister said the presumption of plastic as a menace should get changed, and plastic should be treated as an asset through various recycling methods. The government was keen on the use of recycled plastic in various forms, including for production of diesel and energy, he said. Any number of rules and regulations would not help scientific waste management unless the people develop awareness about cleanliness and waste disposal, he said.
The day-long event witnessed technical sessions on sustainable waste management by Almitra H. Patel, member, Supreme Court Committee for SWM, Bengaluru; emerging opportunities in the field of plastics for small and medium entrepreneurs by Aruna Kumari, senior manager, Reliance Industries, Mumbai; plastic waste to fuel by G. Jagadish, Director, Technical, Ampolt Electronics, Bengaluru, and bio-degradable plastics and recycling by Ajay Karmarkar, Director (Technical), KONSPEC, Mangaluru.
