Sir — This refers to the article, “One year of GST” (July 2) by Sanju Verma. Recyclable plastic which was taxed at 5.5 per cent earlier, has now been bracketed under 18 per cent of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). As a result, plastic recyclers drastically slashed the price of waste plastic.
For instance, the price of empty milk packets suffered a 50 per cent reduction. This has sharply reduced the income of rag pickers. It can also have an adverse effect on the rate of recycling and ultimately, on the environment.
We must not forget that it is only because of four million rag pickers that India could achieve the highest polyethylene terephthalate recycling rate in the world. Recycling is undoubtedly the best way to manage waste plastic menace. Thus, recyclable plastic needs to be put in the five per cent GST category in order to protect rag pickers and the environment. Moreover, if adult rag pickers are made stakeholders in recycling, India can achieve 100 per cent PET recycling rates and end the marginalisation of rag pickers.