THE National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will implement the first phase of a pilot project on separation of plastic containers today.

MPM Waste Management Limited will be embarking on a plastic container waste separation pilot programme on selected roadways in three communities namely: Havendale, Karachi and Whitfield Town over the next six months.

People living on the avenues in the pilot project will be encouraged to separate plastic containers from their regular household waste.

The regional office will provide coloured bags to the residents and collection from the communities will be done between the hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm starting May 1 and every two weeks thereafter.

Six community intervention programmes are scheduled to sensitise residents and to ensure that interest is maintained throughout the pilot project.

The main objectives of the pilot programme is to assess how willing citizens are in separating plastic containers from regular household waste and to have sufficient data to implement an effective plastic container separation programme by the start of the next financial year.