Pune: The plastic collection drive was started by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) after the notification was released from the State government on March 23, people started surrendering the plastic items stocked with them. Even after the plastic ban was implemented on June 23, people are still giving out all the stocked plastic to the aarogya kothi and ward offices even on Sundays.
Ashok Bandagakar, Deputy Sanitary Inspector, said, “Today all the ward offices received plastic from citizens and shopkeepers. The citizens have mostly given all stocked single use polythene bags while the shopkeepers have given all the packaging material
to us.”
He also added that from Monday they will note down names and mobile numbers of people who are surrendering the plastic and it will be then publicly announced. This, he said will be done for the encouragement.
Suresh Jagtap, Head of Solid Waste Management Department of PMC, said, ”Since we have started seizing plastic with the shopkeepers, the shopkeepers are now coming forward to surrender the stocked
plastic.”
Arparna Sursarla, founder of SWaCH, said, “How much of plastic is collected is not known till now since it has been just two days. Also, people are giving mixed plastic including banned and exempted plastic materials, as the confusion remains. In two to three days, the impact will be seen.”
When scrap dealers were asked if people are buying scrapped papers from them to make paper bags, Kishor Kamble, owner of Jai Bhavani Scrap Dealer, Karve Road, said, “People are not taking paper scrap from us to make paper bags. We were expecting people to collect paper scrap from us, but nothing seems to be happening as of now,”
Zameer Khan, owner of ZK Traders and Scrap Dealers, Kondhwa, also agrees with Kamble.
