Workshop on plastic Waste management in New Delhi on 17th December 2009
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13:7 IST
Worldwide, plastic consumption has grown at a tremendous rate over the past two or three decades. The per capita consumption of plastics in India is about 5.0 kg as against the world’s average of 26 kg. Many of the plastics applications are having life-cycle of less than one year and then the vast majority of these plastics is discarded and become part of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Furthermore, the increased use of plastics products, about 50% of which go for packaging applications alone and hence are discarded immediately after using the content has increased the quantity of plastics in the solid waste stream to a great extent.

Indian plastics waste recycling industry is contributing in effective waste management by recycling about 3.6 million tonnes of plastics waste per year by mechanical recycling. In India, the plastics waste constitute only about 1-5% in MSW as compared to 8-10% in the developed countries of the world. However, 60% of plastics waste in India is mechanically recycled as compared to world average of only 15-20%. Energy recovery by incineration of MSW is also widely practised in countries like Japan, Canada, UK, USA, Germany etc. In Japan, about 140 incinerators produce about 700 MW of power. Similarly, the technology for mixed waste or commingled plastics waste has been developed in France, USA and Canada for conversion of waste into value added products.

A Workshop on “Plastics Waste Management” is being organised in New Delhi on the 17th December 2009 by Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET), a National Plastics Technology Institution under the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals to create awareness amongst local civic authorities, environmental activists, government officials & policy makers about technological options for plastics waste management. The workshop will provide a platform to propagate ‘Plastic Waste to Wealth’ approach, Recycling technology providers, NGOs engaged in waste management, representatives from industry and state and central governments officials will participate in the workshop.

Shri Bijoy Chatterjee, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals will inaugurate the workshop while Prof. S.P. Gautam, Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Prof. Mohini M. Sain, Director, University of Toronto, Canada will be the Guests of honour. Prof. Dr. S.K. Nayak, Director General, CIPET will deliver address on CIPET’s role as technology support organisation in plastics waste management in the country.