PLASTIC WASTE DISPOSAL- Practically Feasible & Economically Viable Methods

•Plastic Waste (PW), forms a part of MSW.

•Urbanization brought the concept of “Use & Throw” which leads to quantum jump in the generation of Plastic waste.

•Higher Manufacturing potential due to qualities like low weight, high strength & durability, ease of manufacturing and low cost.

•Higher MW polymers, their toxicity and resulting pollution make plastic waste difficult to dispose off in environmentally safe manner.

•Plastic waste collection & disposal is one problem for which Government has not been able to find long lasting solution so far.

•Plastic waste- Industrial and Urban

•Urban Plastic waste collection to disposal – Responsibility of Local Municipal authority.

 The well known principles of 3R’s – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle should be followed in the hierarchy of waste management. Naturally the practice of Reduce & Reuse has to be followed by waste generators.

•Recycling refers to Recovery, which itself is divided into Material Recycling and Energy Recovery.

•Material recycling is again divided into Mechanical & Feedstock Recycling.

•The choice between Mechanical recycling, feedstock recycling, Energy Recovery depends upon the types of PW.

•Until the practice of segregation at Source becomes habit with the people, such Recycling should be encouraged by the Municipal authorities through private partnership as an organized industry providing space, tax reliefs, incentives. 

•Typically, segregated wastes having plastics and similar combustible material having calorific values as low as 2500kcal/kg have been used in India.

PLASTIC WASTE DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

•1 Destruction of PW in cement clinker manufacturing kilns. Thus we can use PW as an alternative fuel in cement kilns.(This option can be adapted for the wastes in the dumpsites).This recovers their calorific value and at the same time disposes the waste in a scientific manner.

•2 Burning the PW in incinerators for energy recovery. This is being increasingly questioned by the environmentalist.

  Destruction in cement kiln is better option than incineration.

•3 Disposal of PW in blast furnace has not yet been tried in India.

•4 Use of plastic waste in Construction of Tar roads is a simple, proven, economically viable technology.

•5 Conversion of all types of mixed, contaminated plastics without any segregation and without thorough cleaning of the waste is also possible by converting the waste into fuel.