Katraj dairy to set up plastic recycling unit to reduce waste generated in Pune
Unit will have a capacity of recycling 2,00,000 plastic milk packets on a daily basis
Katraj dairy has decided to start a plastic recycling plant in order to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the city and has approached the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) seeking necessary permissions.
Vishnu Hingane, chairman, Katraj dairy, said, “We have decided to start a plastic recycling plant to cut down on the amount of plastic waste generated in the city. The unit will have a capacity of recycling 2,00,000 plastic milk packets on a daily basis. We have approached the PMC for land and other necessary permissions.”
Dnyaneshwar Molak, joint municipal commissioner and in-charge of the PMC solid waste management department, said,“We are ready to allocate five guntha (unit of land measurement) for the recycling plant of the entire milking association in Pune. However, the association must agree to take up the responsibility of maintaining and running the plant.”
The state government imposed a ban on usage of various kinds of plastic on March 23, 2018. Ramdas Kadam, state environment minister on his visit to Pune on September 15, stated that the government has failed to implement the ban properly, which is the reason why we still see plastic on the roads.
“We have failed to stop the usage of plastic. Despite the ban, plastic is still used in the market on a daily basis and 30 per cent of the same is in the form of plastic milk packets. On a daily basis, one tonne of plastic in the form of milk packets is generated in the state,” said Kadam.
If we collect these bags and recycle it, then at least one tonne of daily plastic waste will be reduced, he added. Post this appeal, Katraj dairy decided to install a plastic recycling unit in the city.