A machine recycles plastic waste at Elephanta Caves

“The machine was sponsored by Bharat Flooring and Tiles and Biocrux manages the plastic waste. The bottle scrap is converted to resin which is used to make FRP products, such as security cabin, dustbin, putty etc,” said Valsa Nair Singh, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture.

The machine, installed in December 2015, disposes all plastic bottles efficiently. It also separates plastic from other waste ensuring 100% recycling. The machine can recycle 300 bottles in an hour which meets the disposal requirement of over 50 kgs of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste generated at Elephanta.

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Singh added, “Now, no bottle is dumped in the sea or the land. With the help of the locals, we hope to run this system for a long time.”

The machine is located near the MTDC restaurant at the caves. “To ensure maximum efficiency, a spot has been made by MTDC for tourists to drop bottles,” said Singh.

MTDC is also considering installing other machines in the future in the spots where maximum bottles are dumped by tourists.

“We want to join the government in the Clean India movement,” said Satish Soni, Joint Managing Director, MTDC. MTDC is also carrying out discussions with the company to install these machines in collaboration with an NGO. MTDC plans to act as a facilitator for such a tie-up in the future, if plans materialise.