Govt, industry leaders push circular economy at PRSI

The second edition of the Bharat Recycling Show, co-located with the Plastics Recycling Show India (PRS), commenced with a strong emphasis from government and industry leaders on the vital role of the recycling sector in India's economic and environmental future.

​Government pledges support for sustainable growth

​Sumit Kumar from the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, registrar general of taxpayer services, delivered the inaugural address, extending a warm welcome and assuring the industry of the government's commitment to facilitating its growth. The official noted that the recycling sector, particularly in metal and alloy industries, is a vital component of India's economy, playing a crucial role in reducing dependence on primary extraction.

​Stressing the importance of the regulatory framework, the Ministry representative affirmed that the Customs and Goods and Service Tax (GST) systems are actively designed to facilitate environmentally sound imports and exports of materials while providing a unified and transparent taxation structure. The government expressed its keen interest in understanding the industry's concerns and bridging the gap between stakeholders and policymakers to ensure the regulatory regime acts as a facilitator for sustainable growth.

​Maharashtra's focus on plastics and youth opportunity

​Siddhesh Kadam, chairman of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), delivered the keynote address, focusing heavily on the critical need for plastics recycling and the growing imperative of addressing climate change. He proudly recalled that Maharashtra was the first state to impose single-use plastic ban (SUP), an initiative taken by his father, then environment minister Ramdas Kadam.

​Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Kadam cited the recent six-month-long monsoon season as evidence of climate change, emphasising that the depletion of natural resources means "garbage is the future gold." He announced a major MPCB initiative to establish five circular economy hubs across the state. This campaign aims to support youth from across Maharashtra, including its rural parts, in developing ideas and utilising infrastructure for recycling startups, thereby tackling both environmental challenges and youth unemployment.

Industry calls for data-driven policy

​Sanjay Mehta, president of the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI), stressed the acute need for accurate data to effectively formalise and advocate for the plastic recycling industry. He acknowledged that MRAI, which works closely with the central government on policymaking, has found plastic recycling to have numerous issues on the ground.

​Mehta underscored that the first and foremost agenda for the sector is to gather precise data on the total plastic scrap recycling in India, specifically, how much is collected, how much is recycled, and how much goes to landfills. He stated the MRAI's commitment to making this data available to the public and the Government of India within the next year to 18 months to enable a full-force organisation of the industry.

​The conference proceedings, which mark the second edition of the Plastics Recycling Show India (PRSI), are expected to generate meaningful insights and strengthen collaboration between participants and policymakers.