Plastic ban: NGO to help civic body set up plastic bottle recycling machines across Pune

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to address the problem of waste plastic bottles in the city by crushing these bottles and recycle them with the help of Arts Alive Foundation. The foundation will raise the funds under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the project, which will help to address the plastic waste issue and its environmental impact.

PMC standing committee chairman Yogesh Mulik said that the panel had given its nod for the proposal that plans to erect such projects at 50 locations across the city. “The civic body had already done two projects at Koregaon and Aundh areas with the same organisation a year before and the results are commendable,” Mulik said.

Mulik said that the number of plastic bottle waste is high in the city. Though the weight of plastic water bottles is less, it takes a lot of space with over 10 tonnes of plastic bottles discarded as waste every day in the city.

The civic administration claimed that at some places these plastic water bottles are misused, refilled and sold in the market. PMC plans to erect bottle recycling machines at busy market places, railway stations, airport, malls, educational institutes and other crowded areas. 

Civic officials said that PMC is processing 10,000 bottles every day at its Koregaon Park and Aundh plants. 

The PMC will only provide places along footpaths, malls for My Pet Street Art bins which will required 3 to 4 square feet place, electricity at back end processing and water supply.  Arts Alive Foundation will erect bins, collect plastic bottles, and raise funds under CSR, said civic officials.