In 3 years, 400 crore plastic disposal industry in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Around 34 FMCG brands and 22 dairies that use multi-layer plastic packaging for their products, along with five to six water/beverage bottling units, have finally joined hands to create their own buyback and collection system in the Mumbai metropolitan region to be fed by over 5,000 ragpickers and scrap dealers.


By appointing four agencies as their producer responsibility organizations (PROs), these brands promise a 400-crore plastic collection and recycling industry in Maharashtra by 2021.




According to sources, the CEOs of major corporates and industry leaders recently convened a meeting to discuss extended producer responsibility (EPR) in collecting packaged plastic waste and recycling it.

"Under EPR, over 60 major brands have come forward to evolve a collection and recycling mechanism for their used plastic packs through four major service providers-IPCA, NEPRA, SHAKTI and SWaCH. The brands will fund the PROs to create a network of ragpickers, set up plastic waste collection and segregation points, and transport it to factories for recycling and disposal through dry collection dumps," said E Ravendiran, member secretary of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). "IPCA alone has 80 pick-up-cum-segregation centres across Mumbai and Thane, where its waste-pickers will collect plastic items that will be then taken to its dry collection centre in Bhiwandi."

IPCA founder-director Ashish Jain said that from the Bhiwandi centre, multi-layer plastic (MLP) will be taken to Ambuja factory in Chandrapur where it will be used as fuel for furnaces and boilers. IPCA plans to take the total collection of MLP to over 8,500 tonnes within a year or two.

MPCB regional officer (headquarters) Nandkumar Gurav said the 22 milk brands-including Gokul, Amul, Warna, Chitale and Mahanand-have created a plastic waste collection mechanism by appointing a PRO. "We hope the recycling chain will be streamlined within a week or two," said Gurav, adding that NEPRA has already collected over 1,000 tonnes of MLP. '

After the plastic ban came into place on June 24, MPCB shut down 80 industrial units across the state that were producing plastic packets, bags and bottles for packaging, but failed to create buyback mechanism or recycling chain. Post ban, around 900 tonnes of illegal plastic stock worth Rs 8 crore has been seized and Rs 3.5 crore collected in fines.

Gurav said PepsiCo has collected over 375 tonnes of plastic waste and Bisleri about 150 tonnes since the ban. The MSMEs in the state will also help collect about 120 tonnes of plastic waste at 15 locations.

"The PET packaging association for clean environment has come up with a PRO plan with the help of seven bottle producers. The IRCTC, the catering arm of the railways, has also earmarked a separate EPR fund with 15 bottle-crushing machines. They plan to set up 60 such machines across Maharashtra," he added.