New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Exploring innovative solutions for plastic waste recycling and management, the NDMC Smart City is open to studying a proposal under which doorstep collection of plastic waste could be facilitated upon receiving a request from a citizen or an office through its 311 app, with the waste then repurposed at a unit in the National Capital Region (NCR) to generate revenue for the civic agency, an official said.

NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal said the civic body was willing to examine all practical ideas aimed at improving plastic waste management.

“NDMC is open to learning and exploring all innovative ideas that can improve plastic waste management. We already have zero-waste colonies, and we can look at further improving plastic waste recycling or disposal,” Chahal said, reiterating the civic agency’s objective of achieving a Net Zero Carbon Emission benchmark.

He added that to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Viksit Delhi, Viksit Bharat”, NDMC was committed to taking innovation to the next level.

“We can have multiple solutions for repurposing plastic waste. Collection and segregation can be done jointly or in other forms through the 311 app, and poisonous plastic waste can be prevented from being dumped in landfills or burnt in waste-to-energy plants,” said Sushil Aggarwal, whose enterprise is seeking to collaborate with NDMC.

“Our proposal draws inspiration from the vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has emphasised that technology acts as a bridge between the government and citizens by enabling transparency,” said Aggarwal.

He said the company’s plastic recycling units located across the Delhi NCR, including Ghaziabad, could supplement NDMC’s efforts to manage plastic waste and generate revenue for the civic body.

“While burning plastic leads to carbon dioxide emissions, repurposing or recycling plastic at our units does not emit pollutants,” Aggarwal said, adding that one kilogram of mismanaged or burnt plastic emits up to 2.5 kilograms of CO2-equivalent gases.

Chahal, while presenting the NDMC Budget on Wednesday, had said that the civic body was in the process of transforming itself into one of the most progressive municipalities in the country in terms of sustainability and self-reliance.

“We will build a New Delhi that stands as a lighthouse of modernity, sustainability and civic responsibility — a benchmark and a goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he had said.

Aggarwal pointed out that the idea of assisting civic agencies in managing plastic waste aligns with the Prime Minister’s suggestion during the G20 deliberations to include a focus on ending plastic pollution in the Delhi Declaration.

“By recycling cement plastic sacks and other low-value plastic waste, we can help realise the Prime Minister’s vision,” he said, referring to the Delhi Declaration’s emphasis on sustainable lifestyles and the phasing out of single-use plastic.

Aggarwal further said his company is building partnerships with civic agencies across the country to run pilot projects demonstrating the efficiency of its app-based model for plastic waste collection and recycling, aimed at generating value from waste without harmful emissions.

–IANS

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