Residents of Maraimalai Nagar can now hope to get gold without spending any money. All they need to invest is some time and store as many empty plastic sachets, polythene covers and other plastic waste below the thickness of 40 microns.
The local body will give a gram of gold for a minimum of 125 kilograms. “We want to combat the menace caused by plastic waste, especially those below the thickness of 40 microns. While most plastic waste collected from households is recycled by workers engaged in primary collection, discarded water sachets and thin polythene covers end up choking drains and water channels,” said M.G.K. Gopikannan, chairman of Maraimalai Nagar, a special-grade municipality.
The municipality came up with the initiative of offering gold in exchange of plastic waste to persuade people to shun its use. Residents or groups that mobilise and collect 500 kilograms of use-and-throw plastic below the thickness of 40 microns will receive a four-gram gold coin.
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“We will give a gram of gold for 125 kilograms of plastic waste and 2 grams for 250 kilograms,” Mr. Gopikannan said.
According to him, every household generated nothing less than 100 grams of plastic waste. In its drive against the menace, the municipality recovered 1.5 tonnes of plastic waste on Thursday and Friday.
With a population of around 90,000 in 21 wards, the municipality generates about 40 tonnes of garbage everyday. In addition to households, Maraimalai Nagar is dotted with industries, small and big. The collected plastic waste is currently stored in a dilapidated and abandoned community hall.
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