Implementation Status of Recycled Plastics Manufacture & Usage Rule, 1999 as Amended on 2003

The State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Union Territories (UTs) have started Implementing the provisions of the Recycled Plastics Manufacturer & Usage Amended Rule, 2003, which include restriction on manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of plastic carrybags and containers less than 8 ´ 12 inches (20 ´ 30 cms) in size and having minimum thickness of 20 micron. SPCBs/UTs have further initiated the following activities: -

· Inventorisation of Plastics Recycling Units;
· Preparation of time-bound action plan on Plastic Waste management;
· Organising mass-awareness programmes.

Pilot Project on Plastic Recycling Process

A project on plastic waste management has been taken up in collaboration with Jadavpur University, Kolkata with the following objectives

- study the plastics recycling process;
- identify the pollutants generated during the process;
- Re-engineering the existing recycling processes;
- reduce & control the amount of pollutants generated during the plastics recycling process ; and
- generate awareness on use of plastics complying with legislative requirements and its disposal.

A new machine has been designed to process different types of plastics waste for preparing improved recycled granules and to improve the recycling process. The newly designed machine also takes care of limiting fugitive emissions in comparison with the existing recycling processes. The experiments on this machine are nearing completion.

Status of Plastics recycling in NCR region and Kanpur

Few plastics recycling units of different categories located in Delhi, Kanpur and Ghaziabad were inspected to assess the present recycling process as well as to address the environmental issues related to these units. These units are mainly involved in recycling of both post & pre-consumer plastic wastes. Largely, these units are located in non-conforming areas and does recycling the plastic wastes in crude manner. Such units don't conform recycling norms as per BIS standards nor they comply the provisions of the Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 2003. The findings of the study indicate that ;

· the recycling operation depends upon collection/segregation made by ragpickers/kabariwalas is unsustainable and needs to be regulated;

· the recycling of plastic wastes is managed through local made recycling machines, hence it needs upgradation, because it causes both air pollution and noise; and
· there is no other method to dispose-off post-consumer plastic wastes except recycling, and it is managed through unorganised sectors. However, recyclers/manufacturers needs to be trained.

In order to have proper management of plastics waste following criteria may be followed;

- local bodies should set-up post-consumer plastic wastes collection and segregation centres and to encourage the citizens to deposit their plastic wastes by giving some incentives because ragpickers/kabariwalas are not lifting plastic wastes completely ;

- Integrated Guidelines for plastics recycling should be evolved;

- The recycling of plastic units located in non-conforming area should be stopped/ regulated as per existing provisions of the "Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage Amendment Rules, 2003";

- As per provisions of MSW (M&H) Rules, 2000, the non-biodegradable matter such as plastics should follow the route of recycling, therefore, Municipal Corporations/Councils should co-ordinate & encourage this process as per the provisions of the said Rules.

Innovative Technologies for Plastics Waste Disposal

Central Pollution Control Board has made attempts to collect and compile information on available plastics waste processing technologies. However, such technologies are yet to be successfully demonstrated. The technologies, which have been come across, include the followings;

(i) Incineration : This technology is suitable for hazardous plastic wastes such as hospital wastes and other toxic wastes. The plastic wastes contain lot of calorific value, which helps in recovering the energy for utilising in running the plant. However, the problem of toxic emissions remain unsolved.

(ii) Thermalysis : Thermalysis is process whereby scrap and waste plastics are converted into liquid hydrocarbons that can be used as fuels (diesel, gasoline etc.). The system uses liquefaction, pyrolysis and the catalytic breakdown of plastics. This process can handle unsorted and unwashed plastics, which reaches to landfill sites by default. The categories of plastics which can be treated through this process are Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), ABS resin (ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). A pilot scale study has been conducted in G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur. The results are highly encouraging which needs to tried in field scale.

(iii) Re-use of plastic wastes in road construction : Waste plastics, made up of Polyethylene, or Polystyrene softens after heating around temp 130-135 degree C. A study using thermogravimetric analysis has shown that there is no gas evolution in the temperature range 130-135 degree C. Besides, the softens plastic are having binding property, therefore, these molten plastics material can be used as binder and or they can be mixed with binder like bitumen to enhance their binding property. It is found to be a good blend for the bitumen used for road construction, block making, modified ligh roofing, mastic flooring and polymer reinforced concrete etc. A pilot sturdy has been successfully completed in the the Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai. They have also built a few test roads using blend of bitumen and molten plastics waste.