By Mr.Jayesh Kakkad
Manager of Recykal Products
~ Recykal’s Samudra Manthan Spans 207 Districts Across India, Championing its Journey towards Responsible Recycling
~ Recykal has announced that ‘Samudra Manthan’ will be scaled up to all 66 coastal districts in India
Plastic accumulation in the world’s oceans and beaches has become a worldwide crisis. Still, Recykal, a prominent Indian technology leader in sustainability and circularity, believes that the problem and solution lie on land. Recykal recognizes that to combat ocean plastic pollution, diverting plastic waste from the oceans to recycling centres is crucial. Moreover, Recykal understands the inherent value of plastic waste and considers it a valuable resource. Inspired by the ancient Indian mythological tale of ‘Samudra Manthan’, where the nectar was obtained through the churning of the ocean, Recykal has initiated a remarkable project called ‘Samudra Manthan’ to confront and address the ocean plastic issue head-on.
Through this commendable initiative, Recykal has successfully collected an impressive 70 thousand metric tons of plastic from 207 districts across 19 states in India. It is worth noting that 33 of these districts are blessed with coastal areas, while the remaining 173 districts are situated alongside major rivers. This activity encompasses an extensive 10 km radius around the ocean and river coasts. Recykal has unveiled plans to expand the ‘Samudra Manthan’ project to cover all 66 coastal districts throughout the country in commemoration of National Pollution Control Day.
A comprehensive report detailing the plastic collected during the pilot project is below.
| State | Districts | Plastic collected (in MT) |
|---|---|---|
| Assam | Sibsagar, Kamrup,
Nalbari, Karbi Anglong, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Darrang |
665.82 |
| Bihar | Bhojpur, West Champaran district, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Sahebganj, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Saharsa, Patna, Gaya, Motihari, Sitamarhi, Katihar,
Rohtas, Madhubani, Supaul, Vaishali, East Champaran, Siwan, Samastipur |
2090.02 |
| Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur-CG, Raipur | 136.265 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 411.707 |
| Delhi | Delhi NCR, East Delhi, North East Delhi | 8097.121 |
| Gujarat | Surat, Valsad, Anand, Sabarkantha, Morbi, Rajkot, Vadodara | 1122.258 |
| Haryana | Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Gurgaon, Hisar, Sirsa | 3769.381 |
| Himachal Pradesh | Kangra, Una, Bhapoo, Hamirpur | 1082.25 |
| West Bengal | Birbhum, Purba Medinipur, Darjeeling, Murshidabad, Purulia, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Bankura, Paschim Bardhaman, Nadia, Malda, Hooghly | 4782.146 |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi, Giridih, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Lohardaga, East Singhbhum, Palamu, Purbi Singhbhum, Koderma, Sahibganj | 1457.936 |
| Karnataka | Dharwad, Ramanagara, Mandya, Dakshina Kannada, Gadag, Belagavi, Mysuru, Chitradurga, Bengaluru, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, Bagalkot, Gulbarga, Tumkur | 8463.278 |
| Kerala | Malappuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Kasaragod, Kannur, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Wayanad, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram | 2791 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior, Jabalpur, Bhopal, Bhind, Ujjain, Indore, Chhatarpur | 849.47 |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai City, Pune, Thane, Palghar, Aurangabad, Raigad, Dhule, Nagpur, Akola, Nashik, Nanded, Chandrapur, Ahmednagar, Latur | 6914.674 |
| Odisha | Khordha, Puri, Jajpur, Cuttack, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Angul, Mayurbhanj | 3737.26 |
| Punjab | Kapurthala, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Mohali, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Faridkot, Moga, Malerkotla, Muktsar, Fazilka | 4980.259 |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur, Nagaur, Barmer, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Udaipur, Hanumangarh, Sri Ganganagar, Sikar, Alwar, Churu, Jaisalmer | 2073.985 |
| Tamil Nadu | Kanyakumari, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Krishnagiri, Tiruchirapalli, Cuddalore, Karur, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Nagapattinam, Madurai, Salem, Perambalur, Theni, Villupuram | 7370.98 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Muzaffarnagar, Kanpur Nagar, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Lucknow, AZAMGARH, Varanasi, Saharanpur, Basti, Maharajganj, Shahjahanpur, Prayagraj, Gazipur, Meerut, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Unnao, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Shamli, Agra, Bulandshahar, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Firozabad, Ayodhya, Etawah, Shahjahanpur, Barabanki, Deoria | 9297.232 |
| Total ocean-bound plastic collected | 70093 | |
Ocean-bound plastic pollution is an urgent environmental concern with extensive and long-lasting effects. When plastic waste enters the ocean, it persists for hundreds of years, posing a grave danger to marine life, ecosystems, and human well-being. The plastic debris carries harmful substances, absorbing and accumulating toxic chemicals from the surrounding seawater. This leads to the bioaccumulation of toxins in the food chain, ultimately impacting humans who consume seafood. Coastal communities, particularly those dependent on tourism and fisheries, suffer negative consequences as their beaches and marine habitats become plagued with plastic waste.
Recykal’s Samudra Manthan Initiative addresses this issue through advanced technology and sustainable practices. By connecting local ragpickers with a broad network of recyclers throughout India, Recykal empowers them and offers financial security. These rag pickers are given specialised training by Recykal, allowing them to increase their income by expanding their plastic waste collection to include additional categories.
Recykal also emphasises prevention and reduction, advocating for reduced use of single-use plastics, improved waste management and recycling practices, and raising awareness. This initiative highlights the importance of corporate responsibility and collaboration in conserving marine biodiversity and benefiting coastal communities.
Once collected, the plastic goes through proper recycling processes managed by Recykal. Recycling plastic and transforming it into new products reduces the demand for virgin plastic, promoting a circular economy.
Abhishek Deshpande, Co-founder and COO of Recykal highlighted that their initiative goes beyond simply removing plastic debris from the environment. The primary objective is to regenerate and sustain the natural balance of marine ecosystems, preventing further damage caused by plastic pollution. Recykal aims to achieve this by collecting ocean-bound plastic, restoring the integrity of aquatic environments, protecting biodiversity, and safeguarding the well-being of marine life and humans dependent on healthy oceans. Through this initiative, they are actively reducing the negative impacts of plastic pollution and promoting a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem for future generations. Additionally, the effort has had positive socio-economic effects, especially in coastal communities. It has created employment opportunities in waste management, cleanup operations, recycling facilities, and related sectors, contributing to these coastal regions’ overall well-being and prosperity.
