A bench of the Gujarat High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray, has directed all eight municipal corporations in the state to adopt the Gujarat Pollution Control Board’s (GPCB) initiative by installing cloth bag vending machines and reverse vending machines for plastic bottle collection in high-footfall areas.
The municipal corporations have been tasked with identifying suitable locations for the installation.
The court also urged municipalities managing key tourist destinations like Dwarka and Somnath to follow suit by placing such machines in areas frequented by tourists.
The HC order said municipal commissioners are required to take proactive measures within their jurisdiction to curb the menace of plastic waste and manage the same, not only by taking measures as per the rules, but also by creating awareness through workshops in municipal corporation-run schools. “Effective steps are to be taken to ensure implementation of the Central Government campaign of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, in the state,” the HC further said.
The HC was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Amit Panchal against plastic waste at major tourist spots and cities. It also directed the top authorities of the state to install a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for waste processing. MRF is a specialised plant that receives, sorts, and processes recyclable materials from mixed waste streams.
“We require the State Monitoring Committee and the Commissioner, Municipalities to hold a meeting with the Chief Officers, Nagarpalika, giving them a timeline to ensure installation of MRF facility and engage plastic waste processing units registered with the GPCB,” the order said.
It further said that the Chief Officer of Nagarpalika shall be personally made liable with penal consequences, in case the timeline is defied. “The joint response of the State Monitoring Committee and the Commissioner of Municipality shall be brought before this Court in a personal affidavit of the Commissioner of Municipalities (Administration) to be filed on the next date fixed.” The HC has posted further hearing on September 12.
An affidavit by the Unit Head of the Plastic Waste Cell at GPCB, Gandhinagar, stated that two key initiatives have been launched—cloth bag vending machines installed in Ahmedabad and Surat, and Reverse Vending Machines set up across the state to promote proper disposal and recycling of plastic bottles.