RMC, snack makers’ meet on plastic inconclusive

RAJKOT:

Rajkot Municipal Corporation

(

RMC

) officials and snacks makers’ meeting over disposal of multilayer plastic that the manufacturers use as wrappers for their snack item concluded inconclusively on Monday. The civic body had suggested making Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from the waste generated from these packets to the manufacturers. But, the manufacturers are still working out the cost details of this exercise and will be able to disclose its cost effectiveness only in the meeting to be held next week.

According to RMC, nearly 50 tonne waste of plastic wrappers is generated every day in the city area. This plastic is non-recyclable but it keeps food item fresh for a long time. The RMC has suggested the the namkeen manufacturers to buy back this plastic waste from rag pickers, who generally do not pick such plastic waste as it is of no use, by paying a reasonable amount. Thereafter the manufacturers can produce RDF from this waste at the Nakaravadi waste dumping site. The fuel thus derived has 3000kg calorific value which can be used in a few boilers and cement plant.

RMC’s environment engineer Nilesh Parmar said, “The manufacturers can obtain this fuel at Nakaravadi by using pressing machine and in this production they will also be able to dispose plastic.”

According to the civic body, members of all major snack producers attended the meeting and asked for more time to discuss the prospect with their management. RMC has also asked them to keep a strict record of the amount of plastic they have been pushing into the market and the amount they get recycled and reused. For flouting this rule, the RMC will enforce heavy penalties, it warned.

RMC officials said it is the only civic body in the state which is seriously considering the issue of disposal of multilayer plastic disposal. Plastic was used in Guthka which had been since banned. However, it is difficult to ban plastic in food item packaging because the material does not allow weather to effect the product packed inside.

As per the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 issued by Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, the namkeen makers have to frame a mechanism to re-collect their plastic waste and recycle it. The Rules also stated that it is responsibility of the producers using multilayer plastic packing to set up a plastic waste re-collection system.


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