The Hindu     31.12.2014 

Special bins help recycle discarded plastic bottles

The Coimbatore Corporation initiative to set up bins exclusively to collect plastic bottles has found good response.

Sometime ago, the civic body installed specially designed bins at the new bus stand on Mettupalayam Road, Town Bus Stand and mofussil bus stand in Gandhipuram, omni bus stand, and Ukkadam and Singanallur bus stands as well, to enable commuters to dump used soft drinks and water bottles.

The objective was to let those in the plastic recycling trade to collect those bottles.

Sources in the civic body said that after installing the bins in four places in July this year, it also tied up with Green Bhoomi to collect and recycle the bottles. And, thereafter with the help of the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), the civic body installed two more bins around a fortnight ago.

Karthik Manivasagam of Green Bhoomi says that from the four bins he had collected 140 kg bottles, cleaning the bins every 15 days.

The bottles were cleaned and then sold to agents of factories that used the bottles to extract fibre for manufacturing garments.

The weight of bottles collected may appear to be low but it was a volume-based trade as the empty bottles occupied space.

He used two small goods carriers to ferry the bottles, he said and added that it was not an easy job, though.

“My workers have bottles with urine, saliva, food, etc., which they clean and then take to the warehouse in Gandhipuram,” he said.

He then sold the bottle at the market price, which varied from Rs. 18 to Rs. 30 depending on the market conditions. At present, it was near the lower end of the price band.

R. Raveendran, Honorary Secretary, RAAC, said that the organisation was in talks with the civic body to increase the numbers of bins in the city.

Bottles cleaned and sold to agents

Civic body urged to install more bins