PUNE: “All milk producers generate about one crore milk pouches every day. If all of them can be recycled, then we will be able to stop 35 tonnes of plastic waste daily,” said State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam.
He was speaking during the launch of ‘Plastic Takeback Initiative’ by Chitale Group, in association with ‘Recykal’ company, at Amanora Park Town on Saturday.
“The decision to ban plastic in Maharashtra was significant but despite that, about 30 per cent of plastic is still being used in households. We wanted to restrain the use of milk pouches but it cannot be stopped entirely,” Kadam said.
The State government has already imposed a ban on the production, sale, use and distribution of plastic bags. However, there is no ban on the plastic used for milk pouches and other milk products. About 4 to 5 tonnes of polythene bag waste is generated every day in Pune by milk production companies,” said Girish Chitale, a partner at Chitale Group.
Under the ‘Plastic takeback Initiative’, the township in collaboration with Chitale Group and Recykal company, has launched an app called ‘Reloop’ to create awareness among its 5,500 resident families and persuade them to participate in the plastic recycling programme. With the help of the application, the citizens will be able to return all plastic items including milk pouches, bottles, wrappers, packets or bags to the collection points identified by the app around the township. The residents accordingly will receive 20 points per kilo of plastic they contribute, which they will be able to buy back with over 200 different brands, which ‘Reloop’ has tied up with.
Recykal Founder Abhay Deshpande said, “The use of apps is common nowadays and through ‘Reloop’, we will be able to make a lot of people participate in this eco-friendly activity. In Hadapsar, there are already more than 300 places where Chitale milk pouches are being collected for recycling.”
Amanora Town Park Managing Director Anirudha Deshpande said, “Our township will be the first one to be 100 per cent plastic-free in the country. We have been collecting plastic for recycling since 2010 at the Amanora Township.”
