Dynamic Outreach organized a global recycling conference, awards and exhibition event at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 15 and 16 June 2019. The 2-day conference saw industry experts talk on various issues such as recycling, climate change, sustainability, waste management and environment.
Experts in the field of recycling, waste management and environment, including Padma Shri Kartikeya Vikram Sarabhai, director, Centre for Environment Education, discussed both the challenges and some of the possible solutions regarding waste management and recycling. The use of digital platforms and new technologies for processing materials and waste were seen as a major part of the solutions.
During his presentation, Sarabhai explained how we are breaking our existing and ancient cycles of conserving environment. “We used to consume fruits and other corps according to the season, but nowadays, super markets are offering all fruits and corps in all season,” he said. He also expressed concern over increased consumption of plastics which eventually is harming the environment through waste generation.
Highlighting the unavailability of proper disposal system in India, Sarabhai said, “The plastic consumption in India is about 1/10th of the US, considering the large part of India being rural and people relatively poor. But our pollution levels are on the higher side because the habit of proper disposal is not there. Moreover, the use of non bio-degradable material for packaging is high. It is not the same thing to throw mango peel outside than to throw a mango drink wrapper. Only passing laws or regulations cannot solve this problem. In order to protect our environment, we need to change the mindset, habit and attitude towards waste.”
Another Padma Shri awardee R Vasudevan, known as the plastic man of India, said, “Plastic is an easily available and beautiful gift of technology for the poor man. A few state governments have banned plastic bags but this is not the way. Instead, we need to have a better process in place to collect and segregate the waste. We have used plastic waste to build roads and these roads are functioning well and their life is not less than 10 years.”
On the issues concerning the impact of plastic, Vasudevan said, “We don’t have a process in place to collect and segregate the waste; we throw waste on roads. That’s why it seems that we are the largest consumer of plastic, but that is not true. Overseas countries are consuming far more than us but because of their well-managed recycling plant, nothing goes in waste. For example, we have built roads with plastic waste and those roads are functioning well compared to cemented roads.”
Other speakers also shared their views and stated that India’s waste management sector is an unorganized one and there are problems related to collection, segregation, awareness and recycling. Nevertheless, several companies attending the conference represented the new recycling industry that is poised for growth. The key takeaways of the conference included discussions on how recycling helps save valuable landfill space and protect the health of the environment and the surrounding community.