Kochi (Kerala): A plastic waste handling facility, capable of processing both soft and hard plastic waste for various recycling options, was launched at Naval Base here on Saturday.
Vice Admiral A K Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command inaugurated the facility, a unique venture supported by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) as well as Steel Industries Kerala limited (SILK).
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The facility with a capacity to recycle about 150 kg plastic per hour will be owned and operated by INS Venduruthy on behalf of the Southern Naval Command (SNC), according to an official release.
The facility is capable of processing both soft and hard plastic waste into shredded plastic which can be used for various recycled options.
The facility at the Naval Base is a remarkable step towards effective and scientific handling of plastic waste in the community and the SNC endeavour to ensure zero plastic waste going out at Naval Base, the release said.
"This pilot project has been successfully implemented through the Ernakulam District Administration as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) at an approximate cost of Rs 46 Lakhs and has been implemented by the Steel Industries Kerala Limited (SILK)", it said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Commander-in-Chief, while acknowledging that the plastic waste recycling project is a result of coordination and support of multiple agencies, highlighted that there is a collective need to restore the pristine beauty of God's own country by preserving its biodiversity as there is only one Earth for all of us.
SNC said it has also been initiating and encouraging other measures towards conservation of nature and the release of a book on birds in Katari Bagh was aimed at generating awareness about the environmental eco-system at Kochi.
Under the patronage and guidance of Vice Admiral Chawla, an environmentalist and an avid birder, a study was undertaken by Commander Digvijay Singh Sikarwar to catalogue the birds in the premises of Katari Bagh-'Green Haven' and published as a Coffee Table Book Kaleidoscope.
This study, first of its kind at SNC and was undertaken over a period of three years, wherein 74 different species/varieties of birds have been recorded from Katari Bagh.
Vice Admiral Chawla personally complimented the painstaking efforts taken by Commander Sikarwar in chronicling the birds of the area.
(PTI report)
