6 months on, Ludhiana MC is yet to operationalise plastic reverse vending machines
Even six months after 10 plastic reverse vending machines were purchased under the Smart City Mission, the Ludhiana municipal corporation is yet to operationalise them
Even six months after 10 plastic reverse vending machines were purchased under the Smart City Mission, the Ludhiana municipal corporation is yet to operationalise them.
The machines, which were purchased for around ₹50 lakh, are now gathering dust. Two of them were kept at the civil hospital in January and officials said the other locations are being finalised. Earlier, it was proposed that the machines will be installed at locations including the bus stand, Sarabha Nagar main market and Model Town main market.
As per MC health branch officials, around 300 metric tonne (MT) plastic waste is generated in the city everyday, which is accumulating at the city’s main dump site on Tajpur Road. Authorities said the initiative might not provide a complete solution, but the volume of plastic waste can surely be reduced.
A civic body official, requesting anonymity, said MC is yet to complete some formalities regarding payment to the contractor appointed for operating and maintaining the machines.
MC additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said the project got delayed due to certain departmental reasons, but the staff has now been directed to make the machines operational at the earliest. It is expected that they will be up and running in around a week.
How the machines work
The reverse vending machines will crush plastic bottles/aluminium cans, multi-layered packaging including those of potato chips and chocolates; and shiny flexible packaging like those of shampoos, ketchups and toothpaste tubes. As per the proposal, the crushed/compacted material will then be sent for recycling, for which an MC-appointed contractor will be responsible.
The machines have a bin capacity of 2,000 bottles with capacity 100 ml to 2,500 ml. The volume of the bottles and cans will be reduced by around 65% in the machines.
As per the initial proposal, residents would also get reward coupons in exchange for using the machines. But, the civic body is expected to commence the project with no such incentives initially.