Plastic waste disposal: Civic bodies have task cut out

KOLKATA: Most civic bodies in the state have failed to clear plastic waste from their areas. And the task is cut out for those who take control of the 81 civic bodies that went to polls on May 30. For, they have to contend with a dilemma existing dumping grounds in their areas are filled to the brim while there is a scarcity of land to set up new ones.
The environment department had urged all municipalities to set up plastic waste recycling units."But only a few municipalities, like Bally, Kalyani, Raiganj and Cooch Behar, have been doing a good job in terms of waste disposal. Most have not and complied with the norms laid down earlier," said a department official.
Environment department law officer Biswajit Mukherjee said finding a dumping ground has become a major problem. Only a few municipalities have taken up pilot projects to set up waste recycling units. The Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality will soon start work on such a unit. Six municipalities on the northern fringes have also started work on a pilot project on solid waste.