In Patna, plastic exchange kiosks to give decorative items in return

In an initiative to make the city plastic free, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Sunday set up plastic exchange kiosks across the state capital for bartering plastic wastes with decorative items

In an initiative to make the city plastic free, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Sunday set up plastic exchange kiosks across the state capital for bartering plastic wastes with decorative items.

HT Image

The civic body has set up makeshift stalls in all six circles of the city--Kankarbagh, Bankipore, Patliputra, Azimabad, New Capital, and Patna City -- to exchange handmade carry bags, cushion covers, doormats and other decorative items with plastic wastes which will be functional every Sunday.

“We are accepting plastic bags of milk, bottles, carry bags, containers and furniture at different rates. People can select any handmade product worth the price of deposited plastics for exchange. More than 100 people visited kiosks on the first day. Total plastic collection is yet to be ascertained,” said a PMC official.

Municipal commissioner Himanshu Sharma, said, “A team has been formed under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to make attractive and reusable bags. The initiative is also providing employment opportunities to women along with tacking plastic menace in the city. The deposited plastic materials will be recycled at a waste processing unit.”

As per PMC officials, various projects have been launched under solid waste management project to check pollution level.

Sharma said a waste segregation plant with a capacity of 150 tonnes per day will be set up soon at an expenditure of ₹30 crore for segregating all types of waste through manpower and machines.

“At present, a five-tonne waste processing unit is operational at Gardanibagh. Besides, two more processing units of capacity of five tonnes and eight tonnes is being established by central institute of petrochemicals engineering and technology,” he added.