Bhilwara: Amid rising concerns around plastic bottles and the subsequent pollution, textile entrepreneur Krishna Gopal from Rajasthan has come up with a two-pronged solution to tackle the issue. Gopal has set up the plant Kanchan India Limited on National Highway in Bhilwara where the plastic bottles are converted into cloth fabric while employment opportunities are also generated for scores of unemployed people in the process.
In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Gopal said that he is fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of the Swachh Bharat Mission. He informed that 150 tonnes of waste plastic are processed at the plant every day on average to convert it into cloth. A sea of plastic bottles are seen piled inside the premises of the plant ready to be recycled by machines.
Over the inspiration behind the project, Gopal said that it was his grandson's idea that stemmed from his concerns about the increasing pollution levels caused by plastic bottles. “When our grandson saw the project of making fibre from empty plastic bottles in China, he told this to the family. We also made up our mind to set up such industries and that's how this was established,” he said.
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This Bhilwara plant is the largest of its kind in India and besides tackling plastic pollution, provides employment to the workers. Rajiv Agarwal, who is at the helm of the plant, said that 140 tonnes of fibre is manufactured daily at the plant. He further informed that it costs Rs 21 per kg to make 1 kg of the fibre after buying empty bottles in the market at Rs 50-60 per kg.
Nilesh Bangar, the industrialist's son, said that they have been working in the textile sector for the last 25 years with an annual turnover of Rs 3000 crore. "This is the biggest project in India. After drinking water, people throw away empty plastic bottles as waste. We buy that waste at the rate of Rs 50-60 per kg from the labourers who collect and bring them. By recycling them, yarn is made by making fibre here and then the cloth is made from that yarn," he said.
