<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal (Western Zone Bench, Pune) in the matter of Praful N. Mahajan Vs Chief Officer, Achalpur Municipal Council & Others dated 03/05/2024.</p> <p>Counsel appearing
An estimated 1,800 hospitals in Maharashtra have not yet applied to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for authorisation to dispose off bio medical waste (BMW). Efforts have been initiated to know about the methods used to dispose off such waste as it can lead to a pollution problem of severe magnitude and endanger lives.
A massive awareness programme, "Operation Clean Ananta' has been launched by the mayor, Mr R. Parasuram, and the municipal commissioner, Mr B. Naga-bhushanam, on Wednesday. A rally was organised to create awareness among people from Sainagar to the district collectorate.
Canada's decision to label as toxic a chemical that is used to make a popular form of plastic has created headaches for some makers of baby bottles, sports water bottles and other food and beverage containers. Sally McCoy, the chief of CamelBak, a sports bottle maker, switched plastics, even though the substitute costs more. But it may prove to be a bonanza for companies like Eastman Chemical, which makes a comparable plastic without the offending ingredient, as well as for makers of glass and food-grade stainless steel.
After introducing a scheme to save electricity by popularising the use of energy-efficient CFL lamps, the state plans to undertake energy audit of all government buildings to help reduce power consumption by at least 10 per cent. This was announced by minister of forests and environment J.P.Nadda while launching the seven-week "seeti bajao, Shimla bachao' campaign to check littering of the "Queen of Hills' involving schoolchildren.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in the US are working to develop environmentally friendly plastics, which can literally disappear within four months of being discarded. What the research team is constructing is a new breed of biodegradable and bioavailable plastics in an effort to reduce the tonnes of plastic waste that ends up in America's landfills each year. Bioavailable plastics contain substances that can be absorbed by living systems during their normal physiological functions.
IN THE 1967 film The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman's character, Benjamin Braddock, receives a single word of advice about his future from a well-meaning friend of his parents: "Plastics." Our fearless, environment-saving duo of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Environment Minister Peter Garrett were 10 and 14 respectively when the film came out, and it seems plausible that they sucked this message in with their generational DNA but were too young to recognise its satirical intent.
Green Works is attempting to save the world through office furniture. Its formula for social betterment might start with a nondescript conference table. On reaching the end of its useful life with a FTSE 100 company, Green Works will take it, save it from the landfill and help the environment. The company will then sell it at a discount to any number of charities, materially aiding their operations, or will dismantle it and recycle its components.
The Excel group is changing with the times. The agro-chemicals leader has taken a lead in the country to develop biopesticides and manage solid waste by converting it into organic compost. The company CMD, Ashwin C Shroff, spoke to FE on the sidelines of the recently concluded Ficci Environment Conclave to emphasise upon the need to have an integrated approach to sustainable waste management. Shroff is also chairman of the Ficci environment committee. Excerpts: How big is the environment technology market in India?
Where do you go when the burning rubbish dump near you emits the smell of burning plastic and you know it is toxic? Close the windows perhaps and wait till the wind has blown it away or just get used to it?
The Victorian Government has been accused of letting industry decide environment policy after replacing a promised compulsory plastic bags levy with a system run voluntarily by retailers. Victorian Environment Minister Gavin Jennings this week announced a pilot scheme by the Australian National Retailers Association representing major supermarket chains that will charge up to 25 cents a bag at the checkout. This followed federal and state environment ministers failing to agree on a national scheme to phase out plastic bags by the end of the year.
