Uttarakhand: NGO recycles 6,772 MT of plastic waste in Dehradun in 3 years

An NGO has recycled 6,772 million tonnes of plastic waste here in the last three years in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to eliminate single use plastic by 2022.

"Uttarakhand is an ecologically sensitive state where plastic waste is bound to become more problematic in the coming times with increasing urbanisation and tourist activities. Therefore, our efforts are focused on counteracting the future plastic waste estimates," Director of non-profit NGO Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) Ashish Jain said.

Dehradun contributes the highest plastic percentage in the waste generated by the entire state producing 327.9 tonnes of plastic waste per day which is set to increase to 584.051 tonnes per day in the coming years, the NGO said.

"Adopting an inclusive model for plastic waste management in Dehradun, we have been able to collect, segregate and recycle 6,772 MT of plastic waste in the city since 2018. Out of this 3,555 million tonnes of plastic waste was recycled in just one year in 2020, recording a growth of 50 per cent," he said.

The inclusive model of plastic waste management recognises that the waste industry is largely unorganised and believes that to bring a transformative change, engagement of all stakeholders in the exercise is required.

In Dehradun, IPCA engages with urban local bodies and has been able to enhance source segregation by educating and building capacity of waste workers. The waste workers are now able to differentiate between several kinds of plastics and increase the efficiency of recycling.

The IPCA has been working in the domain of plastic waste management in 30 states and Union Territories for the last 20 years.