GUWAHATI, Oct 31 - Demanding a State policy for the management of non-recyclable solid waste, environmental organisation Environ has said that growing emphasis on cleanliness drives and ecological concerns indicate an urgent need for proper management of solid waste.
�In the recent context, both the State and Central governments have given special importance to solid and liquid waste management under MANASA and Swachch Bharat Mission. Therefore, a State policy is urgently needed, specially for management of biodegradable and non-recyclable solid waste to achieve the real meaning of Swachch Bharat/MANASA,� said Dr Amarjyoti Kashyap, president and chief functionary of Environ.
According to a survey by the organisation, in 2004, generation of plastic waste in Assam was 50,000 kg/day, whereas in the same year, generation of plastic waste increased up to 1,48,000 kg/day.
Cautioning that the entire exercise could not achieve its desired goal and the ecosystem of Assam will remain under a threatened condition without proper planning, he said that use of plastic should be strictly avoided where possible due to the alarming growth of plastic waste generation in Assam.
As per the study of Environ, non-recyclable plastics are responsible for clogging of drains and artificial water-logging, leading to the sources of different vector-borne diseases like malaria, Japanese Encephalitis, dengue, etc.
�Non-recyclable plastic like laminated paper dish, plate and glass made of thermocol (polystyrene foam) and different multilayered plastics are non-recyclable and always remain in the land. Though a very few quantities of tetra-packs are nowadays recycled in India, this is not a common practice and no single tetra-packs recycling unit is available in Assam,� he added.
As per the study of Environ, under the present scenario, all the multilayered plastics are non-recyclable, whereas the entire single layered plastics, including plastic carry bags, are recyclable; and most of the multilayered plastics can be replaced by the single-layered recyclable plastics.
�Use of banana leaves and trunks for making dish and plate; dish and plate made of betel nut leaves and other plant leaves are the best alternatives to save our Earth,� he added.
Remarkably, the present scenario of mixing non-biodegradable solid waste with biodegradable solid waste has ruined the entire community, which leads to biodegradable solid waste management activities developing huge waste land and toxic land day by day. Therefore, a State policy is being demanded for sustainable management practice of biodegradable solid waste.
