Plastic makers move BMC with recycle mantra

Sandeep Ashar / DNA

Even as the city’s political leadership debates on whether or not to impose a blanket ban on plastic bags, the plastic manufacturers have come forward with a solution to reduce the menace of the toxic trash.
The All India Plastic Manufacturers Association, a representative body for over 600 plastic manufacturers of Mumbai and 2,000 across the country, has proposed to recycle and nullify the adverse impacts of discarded plastic waste.
Recycling of banned plastic bags (below 50-micron) is also included in the proposal, which has been forwarded to the BMC.
The association representatives who met mayor Shraddha Jadhav recently, have offered to set up recycling centres to treat discarded plastic bags. Although the association is ready to incur all the costs, it wants the BMC to allocate space to get access to the plastic waste generated in the city. It has suggested that some of these centres could be set up in a small portion of the dumping grounds. “This will also facilitate access to segregated waste,” said one member.
The association claims to have access to technologies that can reprocess all forms of plastic into useful products like plastowood, a durable wood-like material.
To improve efficiency of plastic waste collection, the association has suggested that collection of plastic waste in separate bins be made mandatory for all licensed shop owners. It has proposed to set up collection centres where this could be sold. The centres will in turn transport this to the recycling centres. The BMC could also share some of the revenue earned by the sale of the recycled products, it said.
Opposing a complete ban on plastic bags, the association has supported vigorous implementation of the existing provisions. While insisting that alternatives to plastic should be found, Jadhav said that the proposal will be deliberated upon.