Mangala Resource to get financial support for disposal of multi-layer plastic

MANGALURU

Mangaluru-based waste management start-up, Mangala Resource Management Private Limited, which manages the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at Nitte in Karkala taluk, Udupi district, will get financial aid from U.S.-based Plastic Action Platform, rePurpose Global, for disposal of branded snacks packets and other multi-layer plastic items.

A memorandum of understanding was singed recently between the two organisations in the city. Mangala Resource Management was represented by Managing Director Dilraj Alva and Executive Director Ranjan Bellarpady, while rePurpose Global was represented by Director of Impact Projects Kamal Raj.

Mr. Alva told The Hindu that nearly 40% of dry waste collected from 42 gram panchayats of four taluks of Udupi distict at the recovery facility is multi-layer plastics, which cannot be recycled.

Mangala Resource has been segregating this and sending it in bails to cement factories in Bagalkot. These factories have been using multi-layer plastics as alternative to coal. The firm is incurring a cost of about ₹16 per kg for segregation and transportation of this plastic to the cement factories, he said.

Mr. Bellarpady said that rePurpose Global has been helping companies to calculate and reduce plastic footprint. Representatives of this organisation studied for over a month the way they were disposing of multi-layer plastic.

“On April 29, we singed an MOU for disposing of a minimum of 50 tonnes of this plastic per month,” Mr. Bellarpady said. The amount paid by rePurpose Global will cover the firm’s cost towards segregation and transportation. The first batch of 15 tonnes of this plastic was disposed of under this new arrangement a few days ago, he said.

Mr. Bellarpady said that multi-layer plastic from Uppinangady is being sent to the recovery facility. The firm is making arrangements to collect multi-layer plastic from other parts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada and dispose it of, he added.