CHENNAI: Executives of the Tamil Nadu Plastic Manufacturers Association (TAPMA) presented 42 seating benches to Mayor R Priya on Monday at Ripon Building. The seats, made out of recycled plastics, will be placed in Corporation parks.

There are 908 Corporation parks in the city. And, as part of the first phase, the association has donated 100 benches to the civic body. More will follow in the near future.

“Compared to wooden chairs, plastic chairs are durable. Each chair weighs around 48 kg. We buy the plastic from garbage collectors, and recycle them in an effort to reduce plastic in the city,” said B Swaminathan, chairman, TAMPA’s environment committee.

Though the government has been taking steps in waste management, the public mixes wet waste and dry waste while dumping it. “So, the GCC has to spend a lot on segregation. So, we buy the plastic waste from the local body, and also collect it from the streets, segregate it and recycle it into usable materials,” stated PD Vivekanada, member, TAMPA. “We’ve spent over Rs 48 lakh to build 100 chairs. This initiative will be taken to other districts.”

Additional commissioner (health) V Jayachandra Bhanu Reddy, standing committee chairman (public health) K Shanthakumari, TAMPA executives and other officials were present at the event.