“We are joining hands with a private players for manufacturing these T-shirts after due process like tendering. Once manufactured the T-shirts will be made available for selling at designated places selected by the PMC. Currently, people can buy them from open market,” the official said.
The citizens have welcomed the decision, saying it is a move in right direction. “If products are made using plastic bottles, they will be in huge demand. The products will not only give value for money, but also sense of satisfaction to those buying them as they will feel that they are doing something good for the environment,” Ketki Paranjape, a resident of Sinhagad road, said.
Officials from the solid waste management department said the collected plastic will also be used for creating decorative items like murals, artifacts, sculptures, and other products. Around 26 tonne of plastic pet bottles have been collected through the initiative.
“In days to come, a major chunk of the collected plastic will be given to the road department. Granulated plastic is needed for adding to the tar. Some municipal corporations, like Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), have made it mandatory to reuse the plastic for road construction,” the official said.
As per official data, plastic in different forms make around 5% to 8% of the solid waste collected by the civic body. According to experts, around 4 to 6 kg of plastic is used for around 100 kg of bitumen — used for resurfacing of road. A majority of the material is standard bitumen, strengthened with a 10% proportion of polymers obtained from treated, disposed plastic.
The civic body’s cleanliness ranking in 2022 had dropped from fifth to ninth among cities with over 10 lakh population. In 2021, the PMC’s ranking had gone up to five, while the previous year the city was ranked 17th. In the previous years, the civic body’s rankings were 37 (in 2019), 10 (in 2018), 13 (in 2017) and 11 (in 2016).
