With several lakhs of tourists flocking to this tourist town in Tamil Nadu that is regarded as the Queen of the Hill stations in the state, plastic waste in the form of PET bottles generated here is of a huge scale, though single-use plastic had been banned long ago.
To ensure the collection and recycling of every last bottle consumed in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, be it a water/juice/oil/personal care/home care product, the town on Monday received five reverse vending machines (RVM).
Speaking at the inauguration of the machines here, district collector J Innocent Divya said the current linear economic approach to take-make-dispose of litter was proving to be inefficient, adversely affecting the environmental health of the country.
The aim is to ensure the collection and recycling of every last plastic bottle consumed in Udhagamandalam, she said.
Increased awareness on plastic recycling among the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators would also help tap a new revenue stream and generate new job opportunities, she said.
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The depositor would be rewarded a cashback PayTM coupon for every plastic bottle deposited and the machines can shred and store upto 1,500 plastic bottles, which would later be transported to re-cycling units based in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The recycling units would turn these bottles into flakes/granules to prepare textile thread to produce T-shirts, shoes for athletes, luggage, upholstery and sweaters, fibrefill for sleeping bags and winter coats, industrial strapping, sheet and film, automotive parts such as luggage racks, headliners, fuse boxes, bumpers, grilles, door panels etc
The initiative would further reduce the plastic waste from the picturesque hills of Nilgiris, which already banned use of single use plastics long ago, she said.
To address the issue of environmental degradation, it is crucial to make the citizens aware about proper disposal and recycling of plastic waste.
"Presently, we litter highly recyclable plastic packaging materials like PET bottles post usage, which can be traded since it attracts a high recycling value," she said.
CEO of Biocrux, the manufacturers of reverse vending machines, Ajay Mishra said a person can earn between Rs 25-35 per kg of PET bottles, he said.
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