Ragpickers to help study plastic waste management: PPCB

JALANDHAR: For the detailed study of waste management, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided on engaging with rag pickers. The instructions to assistant environmental engineers (AEEs) and junior environmental engineers (JEEs) have already been issued by PPCB chairman Kahn Singh Pannu. As per instructions concerned person will speak to ragpickers and will see the present waste management scenario.

During a meeting of Pannu with PPCB officials from Jalandhar, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Batala, he asked ground-level officials to speak to ragpickers so that plastic waste was collected and recycled in an environmentally-sound manner.

Pannu said, “The idea is to study how the plastic waste is being managed and how its management can be more attractive and remunerative so that rag pickers also benefit,”

“I have spoken to those involved in recycling but they say that they get only 10%-20% of the plastic waste and the rest piles up. Our officers would study the ground level and then draw the roadmap. We shall also study if gap-funding is required and how that can be arranged,” Pannu said.

PPCB chairman also asked the officials to strictly enforce environmental laws and maintain a strict vigil on industries to ensure that they use their pollution control devices diligently.

The meeting was also attended by chief environmental engineer GS Majithia and senior environmental engineer Sandeep Behl and presented their views on waste management.