Will call a meeting of states on waste disposal, says Prakash Javadekar

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 22

India generates around 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day of which only around two-third is collected for disposal. The rest, as much as 10,000 tonnes, remains littered, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday, adding that he would soon be calling a meeting of states to ensure strict implementation of existing rules and regulations on waste disposal.

Responding to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Javadekar said that in India, on an average around 11 kg plastic is generated by a person in a year, much less than what an average American generates (110 kg).  

However, uncollected plastic waste litters the country’s roads, rivers and also forms huge mounds in garbage dumps across the country.

Responding to senior BJP leader Maneka Gandhi’s suggestion that the collection of plastic is incentivised in Nordic countries, Javadekar said he will send the proposal to the CPCB and the DST.  

“ I don’t think even two-thirds is being collected," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, asking about the policy and rules regarding the “plastic menace”.

Responding to him, the Environment Minister said there were rules and guidelines on disposal of each type of waste and he would be calling a meeting of states in the next couple of months to ensure their strict implementation.