PLASTICS WASTE INDUSTRY

The plastics waste industry has diversified its activities over the past 25 years. However, this diversification has not been accompanied with an appropriate body for plastics waste management in the country. The management of plastics wastes in India presents an interesting and economically feasible solution to the commonly labeled 'menace' of littering plastic wastes in public places. The collection of plastic wastes is the source of livelihood for the innumerable 'rag pickers' or waste collectors who are followed by the kabadiwala and waste dealers. In most cases, an entire family is involved in this trade. Plastics waste collection is termed as a 'lucrative' business as against paper, cardboard, glass bottles and metal cans. A typical kabadiwala in Delhi displays the following rate list:

Evidently, the collection of plastics waste is more remunerative vis-à-vis other consumer wastes. Wastes generated from cold drinks/coffee/ice-cream cups and catering containers, which are mostly made of polystyrene, fetch anything between Rs.15 and Rs.25 per kg. Clear packaging film and polypacks are also attractive plastics waste items that fetch as much. India's plastics wastes recycling industry presently handles over 0.75 million tonne of different types and grades of plastics waste, including around 38,000 tonnes of in-house plastics scrap, which together at the recycled stage are valued at around Rs.2500 crores. With the expected consumption of plastics ranging between 4 to 5 million tones by the year 2001, and corresponding growth of packaging applications (flexible and rigid) including PET bottles and containers, the waste generated would vary between 1 and 2 million tones every year.

Field visits to recycling/reprocessing units and waste dealers markets have brought to light the need for up gradation of the working conditions of operations, as also the recycling technology. Also, it is important to pay some attention to the social status of rag-pickers and waste collectors who contribute towards clearance of plastics waste from public places and thus play a key role in the environmental management of plastics waste.

Packaging is the major application of plastics. Out of 1.88 million tones of plastics consumed during 1995-96, over 52 per cent was accounted for packaging applications. This trend is expected to continue. Packaging thus becomes the major source of waste. This includes PE, PVC, PP, and Multi layer films packaging including around 30 per cent carry forward of the previous year. This makes it imperative for the plastics industry to plan its strategy and targets, technologically, socially and environmentally. This calls for up gradation and diversification of recycling capacity and technology, guidelines for managing and discipling plastics waste, maintaining inventory of types, grades and volume of plastics waste generated from various sources, formulating specifications and codes of practices. The need to formulate and issue 'Guideline on Plastics Packaging and Packaging Waste' has been emphasized during various meetings of the Task Force. This has been based on similar Directive issued by European Union.

To promote increased use of recycled plastics, and upgrading the consumer product applications, there is also a need for undertaking development work which would aim at volume applications, like that for the building and construction industry.