Express News Service
VIJAYAWADA: The plastic bottle recycling kiosks (reverse vending machines) that were set up in various public places in Vijayawada to recycle used plastic bottles, and beverage cans and promote plastic recycling, were in an utter state of negligence.
Aimed at handling the increasing plastic waste being generated on a daily basis and to promote awareness of plastic recycling among the citizens, the commissioner of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) V Prasanna Venkatesh introduced the plastic bottle recycling kiosks back in 2020.
As part of the initiation, as many as seven such kiosks were set up in seven places across the city with the support of Power Grid Corporation of India, GMR and other companies under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
Based on the density of public footfall, VMC officials installed the plastic recycling kiosks at IGMC stadium, Goddess Kanaka Durga temple downhill near Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam, Lenin Centre, Head Post Office (One Town), VHR Complex (Besant Road), Swaraj Maidan and Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS).
VMC officials have noticed large quantities of plastic bottles are being thrown in drainage canals or dumped into trash bins daily, causing the burden to clean them from blocking main drainage channels.
In order to reduce the burden to some extent, VMC introduced bottle recycling machines.
While the machines were maintained properly and monitored regularly during the initial days, one can see more than five machines were under repair and two machines were disregarded lacking proper maintenance.
“The five recycling kiosks need to be repaired in order to bring them back to use. Due to various reasons, VMC could not maintain the machines. If the machines are not cleaned regularly, there will be no scope for the public to use the machine as the chamber area inside is insufficient to take new bottles for recycling,” said an official from VMC on the condition of anonymity.
Not just for recycling the plastic, the VMC offered denizens to earn attractive coupons, offers in Paytm and others incentives to create awareness among the public on the usage of these kiosks. When TNIE was contacted, concerned officials of the VMC were not available for comment.
Source link
