Only 60% of plastic waste generated in Karnataka recycled

Bengaluru: Seven years after the rules were introduced to ban single-use plastic, combating single-use plastic waste continues to be a challenge with officials from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) booking about 54,000 cases in its two-front battle against illegal manufacturing units within the state as well as the import of the banned material.

Karnataka introduced a policy-level intervention to check plastic pollution with the introduction of the Plastic Waste Management Rules in March 2016. As part of the rules, carry bags were banned. The rules got further edge after the Centre introduced a ban in 2021.

As per the information provided by the directorate of municipal administration and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, 988.44 tonne of plastic waste is generated every day (3.68 lakh tonne per annum) in the state of which 733.47 tonne (74.2%) is collected and only 324.29 tonne is processed.

Karnataka has 143 recycling units with a capacity to recycle 2.10 lakh tonnes of plastic per annum or 57.27% of the total waste generated. The state is sending tonnes of non-recyclable plastic every year to cement factories which use the material as residue-derived fuel (RDF).

In 2022-23, Karnataka sent 31,000 tonnes of plastic as RDF to cement factories. Burning of plastic, including the mixture of plastic in RDF, produces a range of toxic chemical additives that are known to be hazardous for humans as well as animals.

The KSPCB board has booked 53,698 cases for violation of the ban, including the use of plastic bags of less than 75 micron. It has also issued 118 closure directions against industrial units for the violation.

Officials said the single-use plastic continues to be a menace despite the ban. “We have seized 620 tonnes of banned plastic which was shredded and sent for reprocessing. The BBMP and local bodies have imposed Rs 3.9 crore penalty on violators. However, banned plastic is still a problem,” KSPCB Member Secretary H C Balachandra said.

The KSPCB has also found that the banned plastic was brought from neighbouring states. “During the raids, we have been told that the plastic was bought from neighbouring states. However, we could not verify the same as the material could not be traced to a manufacturer,” he added.