VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Energy, Forest, Environment, Science and Technology Balineni Srinivasa Reddy will flag off waste collection vehicles which will be used to transport plastic waste from the recycling unit at Ajit Singh Nagar to the Ultratech cement factory on Tuesday, a Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) official said.
Though the Central government introduced plastic waste management regulation in 2016, problems pertaining to their proper disposal have not been solved yet. “There are 110 urban civic bodies in the State, but only 44 of them possess waste collection facilities. We have decided to provide these facilities to the rest by 2020,” Balineni said.
As per the AP Pollution Control Board’s (APPCB) suggestions, VMC will now send more plastic waste to cement kilns for power generation in addition to that being sent for brick production.
“In cement kilns, plastic waste will be burnt at 15oo degree celsius. Burning it at such a high temperature produces carbon dioxide, which can be used for power generation, instead of burning it at low temperatures of 80 to 100 degree celsius in dumping yards which generates black carcinogenic smoke,” said APPCB chairperson BSS Prasad.