Plastic recycle plants will help in its reuse & also create jobs: Hakim

Kolkata: Firhad Hakim, the Mayor of Kolkata on Friday said recycling of plastic waste has become crucial as it has become a major environmental concern.

During the inauguration of an exhibition of products made out of recycled plastic, Hakim mentioned that setting up of plastic recycle plants in Bengal will not only help to put the waste plastic to reuse but also assist to create employment opportunities.

"There is ample scope of recycling and using the waste plastic in this part of the country. Plastic waste is a major cause of concern for us. It will not only reduce its quantum but also give high returns with low investment," said Hakim.

The Mayor further informed that at present about 1.5 lakh tonne plastic goods are being produced, which is expected to grow up to five lakh tonne by 2030.

Plastic is a polymeric material — a material whose molecules are very large, often resembling long chains made up of a seemingly endless series of interconnected links. Natural polymers such as rubber and silk exist in abundance, but nature's "plastics" have not been implicated in environmental pollution, because they do not persist in the environment.

Today, however, the average consumer comes into daily contact with all kinds of plastic materials that have been developed specifically to defeat natural decay processes — materials derived mainly from petroleum that can be molded, cast, spun, or applied as a coating. Since synthetic plastics are largely non-biodegradable, they tend to persist in natural environments. Moreover, many lightweight single-use plastic products and packaging materials, which account for approximately 50 percent of all plastics produced, are not deposited in containers for subsequent removal to landfills, recycling centres, or incinerators. Instead, they are improperly disposed of at or near the location where they end their usefulness to the consumer.

Sisir Jalan, president of the Indian Plastic Federation, which is organising the exhibition, said the sector continues to grow as about 500 additional units will become operational with an investment of Rs 2,500 crore that was announced during the Bengal Global Business Summit, 2022.