Centre to provide one-time financial support to recycling plants for used fishing nets, plastic waste

The government will provide one-time financial support to youth-led start-ups that are engaged in recycling abandoned and discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste littering coastal areas, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Saturday.

This guidance has been developed to provide one-off financial support to project applicants to cover the capital costs associated with setting up a recycling plant and machinery for recycling abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) and other plastic waste with a high littering potential in coastal areas. (AFP)

Yadav presented guidelines for one-time financial support for setting up recycling plants while participating in the clean-up drive at Juhu beach in Mumbai on the occasion of International Coastal Clean-up Day.

This guideline has been developed to provide one-off financial support to project applicants to cover the capital costs of setting up a recycling plant and machinery for Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) and other plastic waste with high littering potential in coastal areas. The focus is on setting up recycling plants for fishing gear/nets and marine plastic waste at twelve Blue Flag certified beaches in the country.

As per the guidelines, new recycling units for plastic waste and fishing gear/nets that have a valid establishment permit (CTE) and are located outside the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and are permitted under local laws and regulations are eligible for assistance.

Priority will be given to new plastic recycling units, which are to be optimally located closer to the beach, port, fishing grounds, areas with high tourist traffic and other strategically important areas where there are no restrictions imposed by any government institution/body on the establishment of units. In addition, priority will be given to registered fishermen’s associations interested in establishing fishing gear/net recycling units.

The one-off financial assistance will be provided from the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funds of the Central Pollution Control Board, including environmental compensation, and also through the Environmental Protection Fund established under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for setting up a total of 25 units near Blue Flag beaches (13 units for recycling nylon gear/fishing nets and 12 units for recycling plastic waste).

It will cover the cost of machinery and equipment for the washing line, grinder/shredder/crusher, drying equipment, agglomerator, extruder and pollution control equipment (including sewage treatment plant). The cost of land, as well as civil and electrical works, operating and maintenance costs and any other recurring costs are to be borne by the applicant.

Financial support will be provided in the form of a one-off grant in the amount of: ₹19 lakh per tonne of production capacity or 40% of the capital cost of the plastic waste recycling plant and machinery, whichever is lower, subject to a maximum amount ₹38 lakh for the proposal. For setting up a recycling plant for nylon fishing tackle/nets, a one-time financial support of Rs. 38 lakh will be provided ₹24 lakh per tonne of production capacity or 40% of capital cost, whichever is lower, subject to a maximum ₹48 lakh for the proposal.