Chennai, Jan 24 (IANS): Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said more than economics, environment safety should be the main thought for those dealing with plastics.

"Reduce, reuse and recycle should be the mantra for minimising the deleterious impact of plastics on environment," Naidu said at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) here.

Stressing that plastics should not end up in the oceans he said: "Economics is fine, but what about environment? This should be the uppermost thought in the minds of those dealing with plastics."

"There is a growing recognition that quality of life depends on our environment, the water we use, the air we breathe and the food we eat," Naidu remarked.

Expressing his happiness at the CIPET collaborating with various medical universities to make prototypes of disposables and medical equipment, he said the collaborations should be taken forward to promote Indian manufacturing so as to reduce healthcare cost.

Naidu said India's plastic exports will be over $8 billion in fiscal year 2018-19, a 6 per cent increase from $ 7.56 billion in financial year 2017-18.