Bengal sets up fund to turn plastic recyclers green

The project is aimed at helping plastic recyclers in the small scale sector turn eco-friendly by installing a waste recycling system developed at the the Centre for Quality Management System (CQMS) and the mechanical engineering department of Kolkata's Jadavpur University (JU).

Subsidy for the installation of the system will come from several sources, including the Central Pollution Control Board and the government of West Bengal.

The project, aimed at making the plastic recycling units green, is among the first in the country to help small scale plastic recyclers.

So far more than 70 recyclers have availed of the subsidy to install the machine which helps the units reduce air pollution levels substantially.

Units eligible for the full subsidy would be required to pay Rs 21,400 for installation of the machine. After the installation of the unit, the recycling enterprise will get a "consent to operate" certificate with respect to the Air Act of 1981 which lays down permissible pollution levels for waste plastic recycling units.

The price of the unit was initially pegged at Rs 53,000, and the SME recyclers had indicated their willingness to install the machine if the cost of the machine was reduced. The vendors then reduced the price to Rs 42,000.

This reduction is expected to help the recyclers as well as the WBPCB push ahead with implementation of the project, the original deadline for which was March 2006.