Waste Recycling: Waste Recycling Startup Support Centre: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said the Centre will provide financial support to waste recycling startups and will also focus on saving energy and water, as well as banning single-use plastic. The minister was speaking after participating in the Beach Cleanup Campaign at Juhu Beach on International Coastal Cleanup Day.

“The central government will support startups in recycling. My ministry has issued guidelines for one-time financial support to such startups,” he said. “We know how to use nature’s products, but we forget to recycle them and litter the beaches and roads. We will focus on saving energy, water, banning single-use plastic and stopping food wastage, promoting healthy lifestyle and disposal of e-waste,” Yadav said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the state was blessed with a 720-km coastline and keeping it clean would boost tourism. Several countries rely on tourism for their economies, he noted. The clean-up drive, which began on September 17 at Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai, would continue till October 2, he said.

Calling cleanliness a service, Shinde expressed happiness that citizens from across the state are taking part in the drive in large numbers. The CM said the deep cleaning drive started by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be resumed after the monsoons, where roads will be cleaned with recycled water. “Pollution has also come down due to this drive,” he said. Talking to reporters later, CM Shinde said awareness about cleanliness has increased since Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.