Context :

Govt to set up control rooms to enforce single-use plastic ban: Minister / Indian Express / 29 June 2022

Extract :

With the ban on single-use plastic coming into force on July 1, the government will be setting up control rooms at national and state levels to ensure its effective enforcement, Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.

Apart from the control rooms, which will be supervised by the Central Pollution Control Board, special enforcement teams will be formed to check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the 12 banned single-use plastic items that was announced by the ministry last year.

The list of banned items include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy
sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.

“The items have been chosen on the basis of three criteria – their low utility, high littering potential and availability of alternative materials.

We have given manufacturers plenty of time for preparation – 11 months – before the ban was to come into force. We believe that we have their support and cooperation,” said Yadav at an informal press briefing.

According to the CPCB, plastic waste generation in 2020-21 was 41,26,997 tonnes, while per capita waste generation was 3 kg per annum.

There are 683 units manufacturing single-use plastic with a cumulative capacity of 2.44 lakh per annum. The CPCB has already revoked or modified the consent of 433 units.

The CPCB further said that characterization of plastic waste in 18 cities has found that the percentage of single-use plastic in total plastic waste is between 10% and 35 %.

The use of these items by consumers is also banned. But the minister has said, that penalties are unlikely to be transferred to the consumer as, “If the banned item simply does not exist in the market, then it can’t be used.’’

Yadav said the government has over the past year focused on encouraging industry and MSMEs to come up with alternatives to plastic, including biodegradable plastic and compostable plastic.

The government has awarded works to seven startups developing solutions, including bio-degradable packaging material made from crop stubble waste among others.

Till June this year, the CPCB has already awarded certificates to 194 plants for production of compostable plastic with another 61 applications in process. The certified plants have a capacity to produce 3 lakh tonnes of compostable plastic per annum.

MY TAKE :

Look at how one NGO is helping :

Real plastic money: Pay for food with waste at this Junagadh Café / Times of India / 29 June 2022

Extract :

While food and beverage companies are busy finding alternatives to single use plastics, Junagadh has given some food for thought in tackling plastic menace

On June 30, the district administration will inaugurate a café where people can savour delicacies by paying with PLASTIC WASTE instead of money

People can bring in their household plastic waste and they will be served food depending on its weight

The Café will be run by Sarvoday Sakhi Mandal , a group of women who have tied up with farmers while the space and infrastructure has been provided by the administration

Talking to TOI, Junagadh collector Rachit Raj said, “ We want to promote clean and green Junagadh . To start with, we will give a glass of lemon juice or fennel juice for 500 gram PLASTIC WASTE , and one plate of DHOKLA or POHA for 1 KG plastic waste . More the plastic waste, the bigger the platter .”

All the beverages including some health ones like those made from betel leaf, rose , figs and bel leaf , will be served in clay utensils. The menu also includes Kathiyawadi and Gujarat platters that will have Bringan Bharta , Sev Tameta , Thepla and Bajra Rotlo

The District Administration has hired an Agency which will buy this waste

Dear Shri Bhupender Yadavji,

You have laid down PUNISHMENT for those who do not observe the BAN

I strongly urge you to also consider INCENTIVES for those ( including Govt Officers ), who volunteer to implement SOLUTIONS of the type described in this email

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 29 June 2022

Discourage Plastics : Encourage Greed …………………………….[ 21 Mar 2016 ]

Extract :

MISSING ELEMENT :

Abolish Corporate Income Tax for all plastic recycling units for next 10 years !

Let GREED take over GOVERNING !

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT ?

* Within a year , another 10,000 plastic recycling units will come up

* 100 % of plastic produced will get recycled

* These units will mobilize lakhs of " Plastic Rag Pickers " to collect every small scrap of

plastic from every nook and corner of every street in every city, leading to Swatchh

Bharat and self employment !

* Recycled plastic will get used to build strong / long-lasting road surfaces

* Some recycled plastic will be used as raw material for mass-producing of 3D printed

houses , solving problem of 50 million " Affordable Housing " (ask WINSUN of Shanghai )

( This is the kind of innovations expected from our National Science Laboratories )

WHERE ELSE CAN WE TRY THIS ?

* Abolish Corporate Income Tax ( for 10 years ) for all plants / units , producing Methane

Gas using organic waste from household / hotels / restaurants

* All municipalities and gram panchayats to allow such privately-owned Organic Waste

Processing / Gas Producing units to collect such waste from all the streets , free of cost

* Municipalities will save hundreds of crores of rupees in Garbage Collection

* State Electricity Boards will set up Gas based Power Plants , next to these units and buy

the gas for power generation

If this suggestion is implemented , we would have SWATCHH BHARAT in 2 years

And , we would have harnessed human GREED ( viz: avoid income tax ) of our Start Ups to solve the problem of pollution

No more fires in Deonar dumping ground !

I hope Shri Prakash Javadekar-ji is listening

Kenya shows the Way ……………………………………….[ 30 Aug 2017 ]

Turning a Threat into an Opportunity ? ………………..[ 23 Dec 2017 ]

Did You Say, “ Ahead of Times “ ? …………………………[ 23 Dec 2017 ]

Plastic : Refusing to fade away …………………………..[ 05 Apr 2018 ]

Plastics : Time to strike a deal ? ………………………[ 16 Apr 2018 ]

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Dear Gadkariji : your dream come true ?............ [ 18 Sept 2021 ]

Extract :

Plastic waste generated by India in 2019………………………………… .9.46 Million Tons

Ø Total Plastic waste in 2021 could be ……………………………………….. 10 million tons

Ø Assuming 30 % consist of PET bottles = 3 million tons

Ø Approx weight of a 1 Litre PET bottles = 20 gms

Ø Which translates as ( 5 bottle=100 gms / 50 bottle = 1kg / 50,000 bottles = 1000 Kg = 1 Ton )

Ø Hence, if all of these 3 million tons of plastic bottles were to be used ( recycled ) for producing Platio Bricks :

# 3 million tons = 3,000,000 tons = 3,000,000,000 Kg

# For ease of calculating, if we take use of 10 Kg / sq meter , we can get :

300 Million sq meter of Platio Bricks

Ø Let us assume a highway with a width of 20 Meter

Ø So we get > 300 Million sq meter divided by 20 Meter = 15 Million Meter length of highway = 15,000 Km of highways constructed using plastic waste

Ø Now, if 1 panel ( of 1 sq meter ) can generate 20-30 watts of solar power , then 300 million sq meter can produce … 300 million x 20 watts = 600 million watts = 600 Mega Watts of power !