The Meghalaya government has signed an agreement with a major cement firm for buying plastic waste to be used as fuel instead of coal for producing clinkers.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma made this announcement during an official programme to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in State capital Shillong on Wednesday.
“We have had an understanding with one of the cement companies which will use the plastic as raw material to burn and produce energy from it. It will be a process very much within the control limits of the pollution board,” Mr Sangma said.
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At least half a dozen companies manufacture cement in Meghalaya, which has almost 10% of India’s limestone reserves. These companies rely largely on coal, also mined in the State, for fuel.
Officials said the government would have a similar agreement with the other cement companies if they agree to buy plastic waste.
The Chief Minister said the cement firm that offered to buy the plastic waste had its factory retrofitted to consume plastics in place of coal. The State Pollution Control Board would be monitoring the ambient air quality after the plastics are burned so that no harmful emission takes place, he added.
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A State government spokesperson said Meghalaya had begun battling plastic in 2018 by building the first plastic road in Nongstoin town followed by another in Tura town this year.
A few months ago, Mr Sangma introduced the Meghalaya Plastic Challenge toward plastic waste management by involving local organisations and traditional tribal bodies.
The movement saw village-level volunteers and ragpickers collect 17 tonnes of plastic waste from across the State. These were collected by a scrap dealer engaged by the Swachh Bharat Mission office.
According to the agreement, the cement firm will pay ₹30 per kg to the scrap dealer for collecting the plastic waste.
Some 5 tonnes of plastic waste were collected from the State’s Pynursla block alone. This was made possible by decisions taken by the village dorbars (traditional councils) to streamline the collection of plastics.
For instance, residents of Urksew-Wahpathaw village collected plastic waste at a designated location every Saturday at 4 pm. The villagers of Pomlahier made it a point to do so on the 30th of every month for a recycler or scrap dealer chosen by the local authorities.
The Chief Minister said his government wanted Meghalaya to be plastic-free by 2022 when the State will host the National Games.