Srinagar is soon going to get Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) at different places with an aim to encourage scientific disposal of plastic and other non-biodegradable waste products for protection of the environment.
The machines were being installed under the Smart City project and the Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) is taking care of installation, monitoring and maintenance of these machines.
These RVMs are the same Zeleno brand machines which have been installed in major cities across India. These smart machines solve the problem of managing solid plastic waste by disposing them off scientifically and thereby protecting the environment.
In addition to polyethylene terephthalate or PET bottles, these machines also collect for recycling other non-biodegradable waste products like cold drink aluminium cans and multi-layer packaging materials.
In the first phase, 20 machines will be installed within two within months. These machines will be installed at identified locations in various areas of the city.
The users will be rewarded with cash backs and discount vouchers for disposing off the said waste material into these machines — the idea being to encourage scientific disposal of non-biodegradable waste and protection of the environment.
Seventy to hundred percent of the PET and other drinking container waste disposed off in these machines were returned for recycling, making these machines the best available for scientific disposal of the waste.
The SSCL Tuesday gave a demonstration of the acquired Zeleno machines to Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary who is also Chief Executive Officer SSCL.
During the demonstration it was informed these machines can compress over 90 PET bottles an hour crushing and shredding them before the waste was returned for recycling. Their total capacity ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 bottles or cans.
Each of these RVMs has a digital screen. The users open the door of the smart bin and drop in the waste bottle or follow the basic commands on touch-screen. The sensors of the machine detect the aluminum and scan the bottles. The details of the PET and aluminum bottles are then tallied with the database and then it is passed through the conveyor belt.
Choudhary said the protection of the environment was amongst the top priorities of the administration.