The Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), along with Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), has been chosen to develop plastic waste free cities programme under an Alliance plus International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), South Asia initiative.
GWMC applied for this programme with nine other cities in the country when ICLEI invited an expression of interest in January this year.
Pamela Satpathy, GWMC Commissioner, attended a virtual conference on March 19, during which the ICLEI selected Warangal for the programme.
The 20-month long initiative, which launched in November previous year, will assist the selected cities in developing plastic waste management strategies.
According to the plan, a financially viable and scientifically sound implementation project will be recognised, which then will be submitted to the programme for funding consideration.
The growing quantity of plastic waste has become a significant difficulty and is the major contributor to environmental degradation. India produces 26,000 tonne per day (TPD) of plastic waste, which is 9.4 million tonnes per annum.
Plastic waste management has emerged as one of the most extensive development challenges in India. Several studies indicate that unsafe disposal of waste produces dangerous gases, and leachates, leading to environmental degradation and life-threatening diseases.