The alarming amount of plastic waste generated indiscriminately by the urban sprawl is an ever-increasing worry for Pune, whose peripheries are already dotted with mounds of inferior quality, non-biodegradable plastic items. Unfortunately, several tourist destinations around the city are no exception to this rule, leaving the administration unsure about how to effectively tackle this long-standing menace.
However, in a ray of hope that pushes for a resolution in the right direction, the forest department here has now tied up with an organisation to create polyfuel out of plastics, which its officials will be collecting to clean up the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, around 110 kms from Pune.
“Instead of locals, our staff will be collecting plastic from the sanctuary and handing it over for pyrolysis. Of the generated fuel, 40 per cent will be distributed to locals for burning, as it is a very clean source of energy,” said Sunil Limaye, chief conservator of forests, Pune wildlife division.
Tushar Dhamdhere, range forest officer at Bhimashankar, added, “At present, plastic here is collected by local scrap dealers. So, we have no idea how much plastic waste is actually generated. However, we know that during Shravan (monsoon in the Marathi calendar) and Mahashivratri, there is a huge influx of visitors due to the famous Mahadev temple here, which leads to a rise in waste generation. This will now be tracked when we start handing over garbage for polyfuel conversion.”Hearteningly, it is not just the forest department, but also several citizens making an effort to clean up forested areas and use plastic waste for fuel. Voluntary organisation Vrukshavalli has started cleaning up Sinhagad, one of the most popular picnic destinations around, which is regularly littered with plastic packaging that spreads into its pristine valley, even getting buried under layers of mud during the rains.
Businessman Rushikesh Patil, a member of the 150-strong group, shared, “We go to the fort every Thursday and Sunday with volunteers. On Thursdays, there are usually 15-20 participants, while on Sunday, numbers swell to 25-30 people. Sometimes, visitors join us, too. This Thursday, we collected 8-10 sacks, with each containing 150 bottles and wrappers. These are taken to Atkarwadi, from where they are picked up and taken to a polyfuel plant.”Lokesh Bapat, founder of the Tellus Organisation, which facilitates this transport of the garbage, told Mirror, “We collect the waste from Atkarwadi, along with garbage from other residents, then take it for processing. In the last six months, we have collected around two tonnes of garbage from Sinhagad.”Experts credit this positive rise in plastic garbage being converted into polyfuel to increasing awareness. “Public will to do good is higher, and will increase with the forest department’s efforts. Plastic can be separated at the source and processed, rather than being thrown into landfills. We have two plants —at Jejuri and Hadapsar — with a collective waste processing capacity of around 700 kilos per day. Polyfuel can replace kerosene and diesel for burning,” informed Medha Tadpatrikar, director of Rudra Environmental Solutions.
Article source: http://www.punemirror.in/pune/civic/Plastic-to-polyfuel-Forest-dept-takes-up-mission-Bhimashankar/articleshow/52243517.cms
