Madurai, Jan 22 : Even though India is ranking highest in recycling plastic wastes, more efficient plastic waste management systems will have to be adopted in the country, Mr M Raman, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India, said today.

Delivering Presidential address at the National Workshop on Plastics Waste Management, organised by the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), under the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, here, he said in India nearly 30 to 40 per cent of the plastic wastes were being recycled, which was one of the highest in the world. In Japan, China and South Africa, the recycling percentages were only 12, ten and 16 respectively.

He said as per the Central Pollution Control Board, approximately 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day was generated in India, which was around nine per cent of 1.2 lakh tonnes of municipal solid waste generated per day.

The quantum of plastic waste was ever increasing due to increase in population, developmental activities, changes in lifestyle and socio-economic conditions.

More efficient plastic waste management systems would have to be adopted involving proper segregation and collection of plastic wastes, recycling and even imposition of penalties for littering, although there was a country-wide network for collection of plastic wastes comprising rag-pickers, waste collectors, waste dealers and recycling enterprises.

The efforts in this direction need to be intensified to bring in more efficiency into the system, he added.