Plastics are the backbone of globalisation and the enabler of modern life; they are in our toothbrushes and credit cards, for example. However, ensuring that they dispose of in an environmentally friendly manner is becoming increasingly difficult.
India is currently expected to produce 26,000 tonnes of plastic every day, with 80 percent recyclable plastic and 20% non-recyclable multi-layer plastic. However, only 30% of plastic is recycled, and the rest is frequently found discarded on highways and in drains, polluting our environment.
The process of transforming waste resources into new materials and things is known as recycling. Recycling reduces energy consumption, air pollution (from incineration), and water pollution by preventing the waste of potentially valuable materials and minimising the use of fresh raw resources (from landfilling).
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), SBI-Card and Payment Services Ltd., and the Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) have formed an exclusive agreement to build a Material Recovery Facility as part of the SBI-CSR Card's much-appreciated initiatives. It is also alternatively known as a Dry Waste Collection Center. The location at which it is established is quite strategic, experts believe, i.e in the centre of Delhi.
The facility is the first of its kind in terms of building a sustainable value chain for collecting, sorting, and then channelling plastic garbage for recycling to create a circular economy for dry waste. The event to celebrate the launch of the Dry Waste Collection Center was carried out by SH. Sandeep Kapoor, the esteemed counsellor of Krishna Nagar, and the Commissioner of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), SH. Vikas Anand. The event was also honoured with the presence of Mr Ashish Jain, Founder, Director of IPCA, and representatives from SBI Card.
The dignitaries were given a tour of the facility after the inaugural ceremony.
The Indian Pollution Control Association is a non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing pollution in India. IPCA is a non-profit organisation based in the United States. IPCA has collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders in a variety of disciplines, including solid waste management, air quality management, education, and livelihood. The organisation has been able to broaden its scope of work and impact as a result of this diversity.
And, over the years, the firm has successfully supplied long-term solid waste management solutions to corporations, industries, educational institutions, and residential colonies. It has reached out to both the public and private sectors to raise awareness about the necessity of incorporating environmental and self-sustainability concerns into project and policy development. IPCA is registered with the Central Pollution Control Board on a national level and, CPCB recognised IPCA as the first PRO (Producer Responsibility Organization) for implementing EPR Action for Plastic Waste Management on a pan-India basis.
IPCA has developed a Dry Waste Collection Centre in 24 States/UTs for effective plastic garbage management, collecting over 10,000 MT of plastic waste every month.
Sh. Sandeep Kapoor praised the collaborative model for plastic waste management and Sh. Vikas Anand agreed that more collaborative efforts in society were needed to make a difference on the ground in the waste management area. Mr Jain, as director of IPCA, is committed to continuing such efforts, as well as raising public awareness about the challenges associated with improper trash disposal and encouraging more families to segregate waste for effective recycling.
The Dry Garbage Collection Center is up for business and can handle up to 2 metric tonnes of dry waste each day. The facility's main purpose is to sort dry trash into distinct categories and then compact the separated debris to reduce waste volume. The procedures are semi-automated, with two types of machinery employed to carry them out. The first is a semi-automatic Segregation Conveyor Platform, which is used for trash segregation and may be operated by up to six workers at the same time to separate different grades and/or types of dry waste.
The second type of baler is a Vertical Hydraulic Baler, which compacts waste into bales. The machine uses hydraulic pressure to crush waste such as paper, plastic, cartons, and clothes into 20 kg to 150 kg compact bales. The segregation and compaction procedure lowers the cost of storage and transportation while also assisting inefficient trash recycling.
Waste can be recycled at an authorised recycler or at the proposed recycling plant, which will be constructed as part of the project's next phase. To complete the circular value chain, the recycling factory will create consumer products from recovered plastic trash.
According to Engineering-in-Chief Vijay Prakash, the centre will also have a hydraulic baler for the compaction of segregated dry debris. Many waste goods, such as plastic and paper, are small in weight yet take up a lot of space, resulting in significant logistic costs. As a result, hydraulic balers at the centre will reduce the volume of waste and pack it into bales.
Why is the Waste Management System required in India?
When it comes to trash management, it's critical to understand how to learn more about it. Because it has such a significant impact on our lives as well as the environment.
When the garbage is managed and disposed of properly, it leads to a minimal negative impact of waste caused on the environment, human health, and other factors. This process can also be accommodated by the process of using the important R’s, i.e. reusing and recycling of resources. When considering trash management, numerous factors must be considered, including disposal options, recycling methods, waste avoidance and reduction measures, and waste transportation.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests published the MSW (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 to enable effective waste management in India, and the revised drafted rules were recently published. Municipal governments are in charge of enforcing these regulations and establishing infrastructure for MSW collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing, and disposal.
In comparison to other Indian cities, Chandigarh was the first to establish SWM systematically and has improved waste management.
SWM has become a big issue in India as a result of population increase and, in particular, the development of megacities. India now relies on insufficient trash infrastructure, the informal sector, and waste dumping. Public participation in garbage management faces substantial problems, as does a general lack of community accountability for waste.
It is critical to raise community awareness and modify people's attitudes toward waste to build effective and long-term waste management systems. Trash management that is both sustainable and economically successful must enable maximal resource extraction from garbage while also ensuring the safe disposal of residual waste through the creation of engineered landfills and waste-to-energy facilities.
India faces issues in the waste management sector, including waste legislation, waste technology selection, and the availability of adequately qualified workers. India will continue to suffer from poor waste management and the consequences for human health and the environment until these basic prerequisites are satisfied.
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