Not many are aware of the plastic bottle crusher at Kamaraj Bus Stand

DINDIGUL

With the ban of single-use plastic coming to effect from Friday, knowing the presence of a plastic bottle crusher installed on the premises of the Kamaraj Bus Stand in Dindigul might come across as useful.

Though the bottle crusher is fully functioning, the location of it is a problem, said H. Rajesh Kannan, district treasurer, Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection Centre.

“It is placed next to the breast-feeding room near the bay of buses plying to Theni. Not many even notice it or would use it owing to privacy reasons. Installing it in a more prime location would serve the purpose,” he said.

Mr. Kannan also called for sign boards to be installed in multiple locations pointing out the location of the machine.

A shopkeeper of a stall situated next to the bottle crusher says that he sees hardly 10 people using it on an average in a day. “It has been installed for more than a year, but not many know about it,” he added.

K. Amutha, 34, a passenger commuting to Cumbum who had recently identified the machine, said that placing more such bottle crushers near bays of buses plying to prime destinations like Palani, Kodaikanal and Chennai would be useful. “Repeated reuse of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles may be harmful to us, hence recycling is a better option,” she said.

When contacted Corporation Commissioner S. Sivasubramian, said that change of location would be considered. “Steps are under way to set up a micro-compost centre (MCC) on the premises of the bus stand to process the waste generated there,” he said.