New Delhi – Waste value chain poses a big challenge for the country which is broken. There is lack of adequate infrastructure and remains highly informal. It is also a sector which largely has low wagers without adequate skills and opportunities, Shilpi Kamarkar, consultant, UNDP said at at Plastic Waste Dialogue in New Delhi on Tuesday (27 Aug).
“We have to create scalable models in waste value chain which are economical and sustainable. The entire waste value chain needs end to end integration” she added.
“We are investing in 50 cities and collaborating with government to set up recycling centers and we also need to identify the needs of this industry and which sectors need most investments” she further added.
Waste segregation at source is a priority area where everynody needs to focus. The recycling will improve considerably, if everyone addresses this problem.
UNDP has presence in 20 cities as of now and would reach 25 by the end of this year.
The Dialogue is being hosted in collaboration with Gonative and United Way India Plog Run.
“When the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji acknowledges about the problem from the ramparts of the Red Fort during his Independence Day speech, it calls for a collective action from all of us, to be a part of the solution rather than just the problem,” India CSR Founder and Managing Editor said while speaking at the occasion.
“India CSR has not only been a publication which writes about sustainability and corporate social responsibility, but we have been a great proponent of environmental sustainability and it is for the very reason we have organised a dialogue which will motivate us all to move at least one step forward from where we are, at this point-in-time,” Kumar said.
“Though our on-year consumption of plastic is growing and is likely to grow further, the good news is that we are recycling more plastic than we were ever recycling. Infact, the overall waste management industry in India is likely to attain a worth of USD 13.6 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2%.,” he said
“The government have to enable an environment where sustainable measures could be taken by way of legislation and strict enforcement, corporate sector and NGOs will have to create solutions while the public at large has to take it upon itself to practice at individual levels,” he further added.
Though we need to do much more on this, I can say this with some authority that many corporate houses especially the ones present here have started taking steps towards responsible consumption and plastic waste mitigation.
The Dialogue will involve some of the most reputable and competent national and world-renowned speakers from industries, CSR, non-profit organizations, international agencies, academia, and research organisations.
The day-long affair will see some of the most powerful voices in government, industry, non-governmental organisations, international agencies, academia, and research organisations.
India’s annual plastic consumption at 16.5 million tn is expected to cross 20 million tn by 2020 according to a report.
Over 80% of the total plastic produced in India is discarded which ends up filling landfills, choking drains and eventually flowing in rivers and seas where it is ingested by marine animals.
It leaches into soil and water, contaminating the natural environment with poisonous dioxins.
Effective management of plastic waste therefore is crucial to do away with environmental hazard caused by plastics.
As the dialogue progresses, a dance performance by Delhi street children on plastic use and waste
mitigation will be on display. The performance is choreographed by a Delhi-based not-for-profit –
Flying Feet.
There will also be exhibition by Cartoonist and Editor of Cartoon Watch Shri Triambak Sharma ji.
