Increasing waste plastic materials a matter of worry
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 29 2011:
A whole lot of waste plastic materials including bottles, disposable glasses and plates are thrown and scattered everywhere and no plastic waste collection centre is bothered to collect them for recycling purposes, thereby causing serious harm to the environment.
Due to the development in science and technology, many companies have come up with up sterilized, micron filtrated and ozonised water claiming it fit for human consumption.
As such ,in Manipur as well, lots of packaged drinking water of various companies are available which are quite popular with the people.
Over and above this, varieties of beverages sealed in plastic bottles are used by the people of the state widely.
The use of plastic bottles, plates and spoons in various functions organized in the state, is increasing at a tremendous rate.
Since there is no authority to collect the discarded plastic materials, they are being scattered everywhere and since they are not bio degradable, it has posed serious threat to the environment.
There are two plastic waste collection centres in the state, namely MR Enterprises, Chingmeirong West and MJ Plastic Industry.
Under normal circumstances, these two centres collect the waste plastic materials from all over the state and after crushing them, the same are sent for recycling in plastic industries located in Assam and Kolkata.
Takhellembam Swami, Proprietor, MR Enterprises, Chingmeirong West, speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao said that like other waste plastic materials, plastic bottles of water and beverages can also be recycled and reused.
But the plastic companies in Guwahati and Kolkata were earlier reluctant to buy these scrap bottles.
Now they are ready to buy these scraps.
The only problem is the unavailability of the machine for crushing these plastic bottles.
Even though the bottles have little weight, the space it covers when it is loaded in a truck is huge and the profit is not much when it is delivered to the industries in Assam and Kolkata.
He went on to say that since the Manipur Pollution Control Board has also advised the collection centres to collect the waste plastic materials, the collection of plastic bottles for recycling purposes will be started at the earliest possible time in the interest of the general public.
Meanwhile, Kh Premkanta, AEE (Chemical), Manipur Pollution Control Board said that according to the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules Act, 2011, the responsibility for the collection and transportation of plastic waste materials is assigned to the Imphal Municipal Council.
The scattering of waste plastic materials including plastic bottles will harm the environment to a large extent and will also lead to an adverse effect to the fertility of land, he added.