The AIILSG has started a project in Satara and Pimpri Chinchwad, Maharashtra, to reduce plastic waste in landfills by recycling it. AIILSG Mumbai's Senior Executive Director, Utkarsha Kavadi, stated the project aims to teach communities, including children and waste pickers, better ways to separate and dispose of waste
File Photo.
The All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) has initiated a project in Maharashtra’s Satara and Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune district, to reduce plastic landfill waste and recycle it into useful items, an official said, reported news agency PTI.
The project aims to raise awareness among various community groups, including children, young people, women’s self-help groups, sanitation workers, waste pickers, and community-based organisations, about improving source segregation and proper waste disposal. This was stated by Utkarsha Kavadi, AIILSG Mumbai’s Senior Executive Director, to PTI.
The AIILSG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Satara Municipal Council for the ‘Localising Plastic Action through Communities’ (LPAC) project.
“We have rolled out the LPAC project in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Satara, Maharashtra, in partnership with their respective local governments to advocate for and sensitise key stakeholders on circularity in plastic waste management and its environmental impacts. This will help reduce plastic landfill waste and recycle it into useful items,” Kavadi explained.
She further stated, “In this initial phase of the project, we have already commenced work in 20 schools in Satara and are in discussions to include more schools moving forward. We are looking at the participation of college students through an app, which is expected to be developed within the next two to three months. Similarly, we are also in discussions with SHGs in both PCMC and Satara to engage them in this project.”
Additionally, the app will help to streamline the collection, tracking, and reporting of plastic waste, as well as monitor awareness activities, she added.
Maharashtra is the country’s highest producer of plastic waste, generating 311,254 tonnes annually, as per data from the Global Plastic Action Partnership – a World Economic Forum multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to translating commitments to reduce plastic pollution and waste into concrete action, Kavadi noted.
“Through this project, we are planning to build capacities, strengthen roles, and formally engage waste pickers, sanitation workers, facility operators, young people, school students and teachers, and local NGOs, among others, in the waste management value chain of plastic waste management,” she affirmed.
Furthermore, the AIILSG has also collaborated with the Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES) Mumbai and UNICEF Maharashtra to strengthen municipal capacities for collective action in raising awareness on source segregation and on air pollution caused by the illegal burning of waste, PTI reported.
“We have found some level of awareness among waste pickers regarding waste segregation, especially in PCMC, where waste is mostly separated into wet and dry categories,” Kavadi observed.
“Now, we are also creating awareness about finding value in discarded packets of crisps and biscuits that can be recycled into useful products, including sunglasses and other eyewear, and household items. These discarded packets are lightweight and low-value, making them economically unviable for recycling,” she pointed out.
Typically, for waste collectors, PET bottles (like those for juice and water), milk cartons, plastic trays, and shampoo bottles are considered high-value items for recycling, she added.
Moreover, through this project, the AIILSG will train SHGs to collect, clean, and sell sorted plastic to entrepreneurs, and establish partnerships with recyclers for direct supply chains, Kavadi explained.
“We want to equip SHGs with the skills to create bags, pouches, clutches, and more from multi-layered plastics (MLPs) and mixed plastic waste,” she stated.
“For this, we are looking at collaboration with designers and retailers to scale sustainable products, which can help SHGs in creating alternative sources of income for their members,” she concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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