Maha will be free of menace in year: Minister

MUMBAI: State environment minister Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday said that Maharashtra would be plastic free in a year, with the help of citizens and industries.

The minister emphasised upon innovating ways for recycling plastic and upgrading plastic collection process on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The minister also claimed that 80 per cent of banned plastic items are smuggled into the state from Gujarat while only 20 per cent of them are manufactured in Maharashtra. “Reckless use of plastic has led to environmental degradation and climate change.

Plastic when burnt creates sulphur fumes, which are carcinogenic. It is likely that the fish we consume have traces of plastic in them,” he said.                                                                                                                          

Meanwhile, industries minister Subhash Desai highlighted that recycling and disposal of plastic products is the extended responsibility of the manufacturers.

“Not plastic, but we are the real culprits for not disposing plastic properly. We are the pollutants. Companies should make plastic disposal an inseparable part of their business," Mr Desai said.