The Times of India                           08.03.2013

Plastic recycling plant for Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: The mounting plastic waste menace in the city has a solution at sight with the opening of the plastic recycling plant set up by the Kozhikode Corporation scheduled for Saturday.

The recycling facility, set up at West Hill Industrial Estate will help convert one tonne of plastic waste into granules and pellets per day, thereby helping the city address its plastic waste woes.

The plant has been set up under the solid waste treatment project at a cost of Rs 62 lakh. With the commissioning of the project, Kozhikode will become the first corporation in the state to set up a plastic recycling plant.

Corporation mayor A K Premajam told the media that that despite the awareness programme and curbs currently in place on the use of plastic, the plastic waste menace has been on the rise in the city. "The absence of a proper facility to recycle plastic has been a major obstacle in achieving our goal of a plastic waste free city. With the opening of the plastic recycling plant, we hope to resume the collection of plastic wastes from the homes through the Kudumbasree network," she said.

The Kudumbasree volunteers had stopped collecting plastic wastes long ago due to lack of recycling facilities, leaving piles of plastic wastes across the city. Though the plant was ready for operations months ago, the delays in getting electricity connection and issues with disposal of the huge pile of plastic waste dumped at the plant site had delayed its inauguration.

Premajam said that only clean plastic can be recycled in the plant and urged the residents to adopt the practice of proper segregation of wastes at the households. Kudumbasree workers will not collect plastic bags or wastes soiled with remains of food or other items. The workers will be paid Rs 4 for every kg of plastic waste they deliver at the plant. The plastic granules and pellets produced at the plant will be sold to various plastic product manufacturers.

The corporation has granted the licence for running the recycling plant for three years to a private contractor, who will pay Rs 3.21 lakh as licence fee each year. State minister for urban affairs, Manjalamkuzhi Ali will inaugurate the recycling plant at 3 pm on Saturday.

Preetha T K, a housewife at Gandhi Road, said that the though the setting up of the recycling plant was a welcome step, the corporation should streamline the collection of plastic waste by introducing colour-coded waste bins and strictly enforce the ban on below 40 micron plastic bags to make the city free from plastic waste.