Almithra H. Patel, Member, Supreme Court Committee for solid waste management (SWM), on Monday said governments’ measure to increase the thickness of plastic carry bags from 20 microns to 40 microns has not helped containing the plastic menace.
It only helped manufacturers and sellers to earn more, Ms. Patel said at a technical session on sustainable waste management during ‘CanPlast 2014’ organised by Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Association here. Whether it’s 20 microns or 40 microns, every form of plastic is recyclable and the only way out is scientific segregation of waste, she argued.
Unfortunately, majority of civic bodies have failed to ensure proper waste segregation — wet and dry — thereby resulting in huge pile-up of the waste across cities. Before the advent of plastic (1960’s) farmers, who brought their produce to cities, used to return home collecting wet waste from cities for producing compost. However, the aftermath of plastic destroyed their fields and they stopped the practice, she said.
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Though some civic bodies, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) introduced waste segregation at source, the same has become a failure as the garbage contractor is more interested in transporting bulky waste (wet) that brings him more money, Ms. Patel lamented. She urged public to keep dry waste apart and give the same to raddiwala at regular intervals. At the same time, the government should encourage plastic recycling even as plastic producers should set up collection centres to collect the waste.
The government as well as civic bodies should make use of plastic mandatory in construction or reconstruction of roads thereby reducing the volume of waste, she said. Manufacturers of plastic should exhibit “extended producer responsibility” to ensure that the produce is properly recycled. The raddiwalas could be upgraded as ward-wise dry waste collection centres by civic bodies or the government.