Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh is poised to significantly enhance its waste management and resource utilisation efforts with the imminent announcement of a new circular economy policy.
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed officials to finalise the policy within two months and announced plans to establish three circular economy parks across the state within a year.
During a review meeting at the Secretariat focused on circular economy strategies, Naidu emphasised the importance of creating wealth from waste and maximising resource reuse. He instructed officials to expedite the clearance of legacy waste and called for increased deployment of modern machinery in waste-to-energy plants. An action plan for waste segregation and recycling is also expected within 90 days. The Chief Minister also reviewed proposals from the Material Recycling Association of India for the circular economy parks. In the initial phase, a 400-acre park, designed to international standards, will be set up in Visakhapatnam.
Naidu advised studying similar facilities globally to attract substantial investments.
Naidu directed the officials to develop a comprehensive plan focusing on 11 sectors identified by the Central government for circular economy implementation: municipal waste, vehicles, lithium batteries, gypsum, tyres, rubber, electronics, agriculture, industry, and aqua waste. He also mandated the inclusion of the mining, handlooms, and animal husbandry departments, stressing that urban and rural local bodies should aim for zero waste.
The Chief Minister also announced a ban on single-use plastics in four key cities of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Rajamahendravaram along with 17 other municipal corporations from October 2.
Naidu called for the increased use of cloth bags in these places and directed officials to establish 157 reduce-reuse-recycle centres across 87 urban locations.
Officials briefed the Chief Minister on the current waste landscape, noting that 52 waste clusters have been established statewide, with two in each district covering urban and panchayat areas. Annually, Andhra Pradesh generates significant volumes of waste, including 36,588 tonnes of battery and automotive waste, 61,996 tonnes of plastic and PET bottle waste, and over 4 million metric tonnes of agricultural waste.
According to officials, the state stands to gain substantially from the circular economy model. They estimate it could boost the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) by approximately Rs 15,000 crore annually and provide materials worth Rs 10,000 crore to the manufacturing sector. This value addition is projected to generate Rs 3,000 crore annually in GST revenue. Furthermore, the initiative is expected to create 100,000 direct jobs, support 10,000 micro-entrepreneurs, and indirectly provide livelihoods to over one million individuals. Environmental benefits include reduced carbon emissions and significant control over land, water, and air pollution.
