In a remarkable achievement, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has made history by becoming the first urban body in India to receive Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) credit for its exceptional efforts in recycling banned single-use plastic items. Through the seizure and recycling of these items, the IMC has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability. This remarkable achievement has garnered praise from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who congratulated the residents and local administration on this significant accomplishment.

Indore's remarkable achievements in cleanliness were recognized when it was awarded the title of India's cleanest city for an unprecedented sixth consecutive time in the central government's annual cleanliness survey last year.

"Single-use plastic is completely banned in the city. We have seized about eight tonnes of such plastic in the recent past and stopped it from getting circulated. We recycled this plastic stock at a plant run under the public-private partnership (PPP) model," IMC Commissioner Harshika Singh told PTI.

As a result of their recycling initiatives, the IMC received a credit worth Rs 8,100 on the EPR portal of the Central Pollution Control Board, as confirmed by a senior civic official.

Singh stated that the IMC has become the inaugural registered urban body in the nation to earn credit on the EPR portal for its commendable efforts in recycling the seized plastic.

CM Chouhan congratulated the civic body on the achievement and in a statement said, "As per the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts are being made to promote a circular economy in Madhya Pradesh."

According to an IMC official, the city of Indore generates an average of 1,162 tonnes of solid waste daily, with approximately 164 tonnes constituting plastic waste. To efficiently manage this waste, civic vehicles collect it from every doorstep in the city, categorize it accordingly, and dispose of it on the same day in a plant operating under the PPP model.

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