To mark this years World Environment Day, Coonoor Municipality and Clean Coonoor sent out the 137th truckload of zero value plastic to be co-processed as fuel in the cement kilns of Ariyalur.
This small event was flagged off by the Municipal Commissioner Mr. Ilamparathi in the presence of trustees and members of the organisation and other municipal staff. With this load the tally of such plastics sent out either for pyrolysis or co-processing has reached 1,145,074 kgs with an additional unquantifiable amount as 488,881 kgs of combustible fraction.
Though we are happy about this achievement predictions do not augur well for environment day’s theme of beating plastic pollution.
The quantity is a little too large for a small town like Coonoor. Post COVID has seen a doubling in the usage of such plastics and the chief reasons appear to be a more sedentary lifestyle and consumerism which has led to an increase in the generation of plastic waste which cannot be easily recycled. We seem to be moving on from generating discards which leave a lower carbon footprint, to those that which have a higher.
This season alone witnessed a fourfold increase, but as to whether it is due to generation or better collection is a bit difficult to state.
It seems that the stark reality is, that in waste management – Reduction and Reuse – are of prime importance and all the rest secondary.
Earlier in the day at a separate event arranged by the WCB the organisation was honoured for its work on waste management. Incidentally Clean Coonoor has helped the Cantonment to get rid of 20 tonnes of plastic waste and hope to continue doing so.
