Union Minister Suresh Prabhu to inaugurate MRAI conference on Sunday

KOCHI: Union Minister Suresh Prabhu will inaugurate the sixth national conference of Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) at Hotel Grand Hyatt at 10 am on Sunday. As many as 1,400 delegates including 350 representatives from 40 countries will attend the two-day conference, Association president Sanjay Mehta told a press conference here on Saturday.

The conference will bring together representatives from the metal, plastic, paper, e-waste recycling industry and government officers from key ministries apart from international bodies, importers and machinery manufacturers providing a platform to deliberate and chart the road-map for the recycling industry, he said. 

The theme of the conference is the role of recycling policy in India’s circular economy. The conference will dwell upon the need for better recycling practices and the impact of the upcoming policy, said vice president Dhawal Shah.

Material recycling expert and a former consultant of the Niti Aayog, Sujeet Samaddar said the Union Government is expected to role out the national Material Recycling policy soon. The suggestions have been compiled and the policy has been sent for inter-ministerial consultation, he said.

The policy has six thrust areas which include ensuring  minimum wages to the rag pickers, improving the recycling of products from 30 percent to 60 per cent, converting the linear economy to circular economy, Addressing the environmental concerns and conserving energy, creating awareness about reducing pollution and recycling products and directly contribute to the economy by creating a culture of recycling. The policy aims to increase the share of recycled products to 70 per cent in 10 years.

Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) director Anupam Agnihotri said the annual consumption of aluminium in India is 3.6 million tonnes and 1.1 million tonnes are contributed by the recycling industry. Around 90 per cent of the aluminium used for recycling is imported.