The Hon’ble Union Minister of State Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, released a flagship document on the “National Circular Economy Roadmap” for the reduction of Plastic waste in India, during the release ceremony organised on 6 December 2023 at CSIR Science Centre, New Delhi. During the ceremony, Dr Jitendra Singh was the Chief Guest and Dr N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR, and Director General, CSIR, was the Guest of Honour. The document is a collaborative exercise between leading research institutions from India and Australia that aims to foster research and industry partnerships between the two countries and co-develop a roadmap for India’s transition to a circular economy in the Plastics sector.
India and Australia are active participants in the negotiations for the formulation of a Global Plastics Treaty to be finalised next year. Both countries aim to leverage their respective strengths in waste management, recycling policies, and environmental initiatives to foster a circular economy that prioritises resource efficiency and environmental protection. The present research commenced in July 2020 as part of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced by the Indian and Australian Prime Ministers in June 2020.
During the launch of the document, Dr Jitendra Singh said that India has taken the lead in its quest for a circular economy towards achieving the Net Zero target by 2070, as committed by Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi.
Further, Dr Singh said that India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) is developing various technologies to reduce India’s carbon footprint and recycling. He also mentioned that the “Recycling on Wheels’ bus, recently launched by the Department of Science and Technology, Technology Development Board and CSIR, can generate Waste to Wealth at different spots due to its mobility. Further, he added that the “Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) has jointly developed a Repurposed Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) van that collects the used cooking oil and converts it into biofuel”. CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi, has pioneered the development of a revolutionary steel slag road technology that facilitates the large-scale utilisation of waste steel slag from steel plants in road construction, the Minister added.
Speaking on the occasion, Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr Philip Green said, the collaboration with India on Circular Economy is “important for Australia”. “Reducing Plastic Waste to Zero and achieving a circular economy is a difficult proposition, but possible,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Dr N Kalaiselvi said that the world has moved from saying “No to Plastics” to “Biodegradable Plastics”. “We have to find the best to live with plastics,” she said.
The Government of India has been actively formulating policies and promoting projects to drive the country towards a circular economy.
