Highlights
- Pune generates around 192 tonnes of plastic waste per day
- Only 30% of 192 tonnes get recycled while the remaining goes to landfills
- The collection drive was organised to curb the plastic burden on landfills
New Delhi: Pune generates about 1,600 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which over 12 percent is plastic waste. According to the data provided by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), only 30 percent of the 192 tonnes of plastic waste is recycled, while the remaining 70 percent either goes to the landfills or ends up in the city’s water bodies. In a bid to make Pune a plastic-free city, the PMC, post the Maharashtra government’s ban on plastic on March 23, has been on a spree to seize stocks of banned plastic. Despite raids, a lot of plastic waste was making its way to dump sites. To ensure that minimal amount of plastic goes to landfills and citizens also get a chance to dispose of their plastic and thermocol waste, the civic body organised a plastic waste collection drive. In a collection drive done on Sunday (May 6), the PMC managed to collect around 7863 kg of plastic waste.
The drive was conducted between 9am and 11am, and a total of 5,880 kg of plastic bags, 1,758 kg of thermocol and 225.3 kg of e-waste was collected by the civic body from around 200 places in the city. The PMC put up over 200 centres, including 15 ward offices and over 190 Arogya Kothis (storerooms of the health department), in the city to collect the banned plastic items.
Your opportunity to make Pune a plastic free city.#pune #pmc #plasticfree pic.twitter.com/JEPIlh87s3
— PMC Care (@PMCPune) May 6, 2018
The drive saw massive response in residential areas and nearby marketplaces… members of residential societies even drove tempos filled with plastic and e-waste to the collection spots, thanks to the voice recorded messages from Mayor Mukta Tilak on social media groups and the numerous banners across the city promoting the one-day plastic waste collection drive, said one of the PMC officials.
Taking a cue from this collection drive that people actually come forward to deposit their plastic waste, the civic administration is now planning to continue organising such plastic collection drives and also set up more disposal units across the city.
प्लॅस्टिक संकलन मोहीम कोथरुड-बावधन क्षेत्रिय कार्यालयमधील प्रभाग क्रं ११ मधील स्वामी समर्थ कोठी (जय भवानी नगर ) येथे नागरीकांचा सहभाग.#pune #pmc #plasticfree #sundaymotivation pic.twitter.com/P8HmxAfAbV
— PMC Care (@PMCPune) May 6, 2018
The state government imposed the plastic ban on March 23. It has prohibited the manufacture, usage, sale, transport, handling and storage of many plastic and thermocol products, including bags, dishes, cups, glasses, bowls, forks, spoons, straws, containers, small PET bottle. Since the beginning of the ban, Pune Municipal Corporation has managed to confiscate over 50 tonnes of banned plastic materials (oil bags, food bags, laminated sachets, carry bags, bubble wraps, plastic flowers, wrappers of various items) of which 60 percent are carry bags. The PMC has planned to reuse the material to make bricks.
The plastic waste collection drive was inaugurated by Mayor Tilak along with Saurabh Rao, Municipal Commissioner, at Mahatma Phule Mandai, the biggest vegetable market in Pune. While speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the city mayor appealed that citizens’ initiative can help in curbing the plastic menace, and people should change their ‘plastic-throwing’ habit to ‘plastic collection’, and start using cloth bags instead of plastics.
Also Read: Go Waste Free: Take A Cue From This Delhi Family On How To Live A Zero Waste Life
