MUMBAI, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- India's 4 million rag-pickers work is at risk due to rising imports of plastic waste into the country for recycling, according to an official from a non-government organization (NGO) working in the field of environment, Friday.
Currently, 25,940 tons of plastic waste is generated in India every day of which nearly 40 percent of it remains uncollected as imports are more attractive than local procurement, said Vinod Shukla, president of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Manch, the NGO.
In 2018-2019, India has imported 121,000 tons of plastic waste in the form of flakes and lumps for recycling, he said.
"The Indian recyclers and plastic companies are slyly importing used PET plastic bottles in the form of flakes and lumps, while tons of plastic waste generated every day remain untreated and dumped into landfills and oceans. This practice is also proving to be counter-productive to government's efforts in strengthening the collection and recycling of plastic waste in our country," Shukla said.
Federal minister of environment has announced government plans to ban plastic scrap import by August, but the NGO also urges him to ban the import of plastic flakes and lumps, he said.
The ban will compel the importers and recyclers to procure the raw material (plastic waste) locally for manufacturing polyester/textile fiber, sheets, straps and other products.
