THE Environment Management पर्यावरणो रक्षति रतक्षिय賈 a Quarterly E- Magazine on Environment and Sustainabledevelopment (For Private Circulation Only)
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THE Environment Management पर्यावरणो रक्षति रतक्षिय賈 A Quarterly E- Magazine on Environment and SustainableDevelopment (for private circulation only) Vol.: IV April - June 2018 Issue: 2 Current Issue: Beat Plastic Pollution Beat Plastic Pollution If you can’t reuse it, refuse it CONTENTS From Director’s Desk Beat the plastic pollution…………2 T. K. Bandopadhyay Cement kiln co-processing facilitates sustainable management We are happy to release current issue of our institute’s newsletter on the theme, ‘Beat of MSW………………………….5 Plastic Pollution’ on World Environment Day. In last five decades plastic has made in Ulhas Parlikar road in our day to day life. From medical devices, electronic gadgets to a bag, its application is everywhere because it is cheap, light weight and can be molded in any Plastics- the modern menace to form. Since 1957, India’s plastic production capacity has increased manifold with over oceans……………………………8 30,000 plastic processing industries that contribute to 0.5% of the GDP and provide C. Maheshwar employment to about 0.4 million people. Despite of its importance, the degradation of plastic is a challenge and its careless disposal is leading to pollution in water bodies, The health risks of plastic and Safe land as well as causing deadly diseases viz. cancer due leaching of chemicals in food Plastic use practices…………… 13 products from plastic containers or allergies due to inhalation of fumes coming out Hari Prakash Srivastava from the open burning of plastic material. At this juncture it is imperative to identify sustainable practices for the management of Biodegradation of plastic……….15 plastic waste. This issue of our newsletter is covering various technologies for Devayani Savant conversion of plastic waste to useful products, management aspects for plastic waste as well as ecofriendly plastics. The latest regulations on plastic waste management by Beat the plastic pollution-it is in central and state government have focused on banning the production and utilization of our ands…………………….…..16 single use plastics as well as below 50 mm plastic bags. Any rule or regulation on Shreelata Menon plastic waste management will be effective if it is conveyed effectively to the people and implemented by local authorities with full participation of different stakeholders. Disposable carry Bag: convenience of inconvenience..19 Our institute is contributing towards management and awareness generation on sustainable plastic waste since 2016- 2017 wherein modules have been developed for Nilima Shirodkar effective awareness generation on plastic waste management. The efforts were made to train different stakeholders by arranging training programmes in schools. Our faculties Beat the plastic pollution – are master trainers on Waste Management Rules and are training different stakeholders administratively……………… ..23 in different states. Suprabha Marathe We are releasing the current issue of newsletter to contribute towards the cause of managing pollution due to plastic waste. Environment in News Headlines Let’s take a pledge to not use single use and light weight plastics in our day to day life. Dr. Seema Mishra Beat the Plastic Pollution Tushar K. Bandopadhyay Technical Director Indian Centre for plastics in the Environment (ICPE) [email protected] Scientists have termed plastics as a marvel excellent water resistance and barrier of modern chemistry. They have declared properties, excellent insulation and discovery and development of plastics as dielectric characteristics, ease of fabrication one of the greatest achievements chemistry into variety of shapes and structure – to has ever made. Plastics have transformed name a few, have all made plastics not only the modern world towards a better quality of a material of choice for an array of life. There is hardly any human activity applications, use of plastics has become where plastics do not play an important role. essential in every sphere of our modern life. From clothing to shelter, from healthcare to The long life of plastics products has added agriculture, from transportation to to the convenience. Plastics have almost communication, from infrastructure to replaced materials such as metal, glass, household application, plastics play a vital wood, paper, fiber, ceramics etc. in role in the human life. packaging, automobiles, building construction, biomedical fields, electronics, By the middle of Twentieth Century, electrical equipment, appliances, furniture, especially around the period of second pipes and heavy industrial equipment. In a world war, many major scientific discovery nutshell, from agriculture to transport and and inventions took place in the from aerospace to food packaging, the use development of many types of plastics of plastics has become an integral part of although the volume remained at a low our modern daily living. sphere. However, since around 1970’s, the volume of production of plastics materials Despite all these positive attributes, plastics increased at a very fast rate and by 2016/17 are under the scanner. Increased use of the world consumption level reached around plastics packaging has created increased 300 Mn Tons. While world average per volume of waste. Even though plastics are capita consumption of plastics is around 35 amenable to recycling yet irresponsible Kgs, Indian per capita consumption has usage and littering habit of the general mass reached only at around 12.5 Kgs in 2016 - coupled with inappropriate infrastructure for 17. In comparison per capita consumption in scientific disposal of the plastics waste in the USA is around 138 kg and that of many of the underdeveloped and developing Western European countries is 116 Kgs. countries have created a situation of grave China’s per capita consumption stood at concern of environmental pollution by way around 43 Kgs. of chocking drains, ultimately finding their way to the sea and causing harm to the The attributes like light weight yet strong, marine lives which swallow floating plastics least energy consumption and minimum and choke to death. Many bird species also emission of pollutants in the air and water face the similar situation. This has led the during production, inert characteristics, United Nation Environment Department to 2 The Environment Management Volume III: Issue 2 decide that India will be hosting the Global 100 cement kilns in the country is not an Environment Day Celebration on 5th June easy job although not an impossible task. (2018) with the theme “Beat the Plastics Pollution”. Similarly, use of low-end flexible plastics waste for construction of roads in partial The theme focuses on drastic reduction in replacement of bitumen has been single use plastics items so that their flow to established and Government of India has the sea could be avoided. given recognition to this development. At the rate of 2 MT per KM of 14 ft wide road, Many developed countries have declared India has vast potential for using up of low- zero or negligible landfill status. Most of end flexible plastics waste to a considerable Western European countries do not have extent. ICPE has contributed in this any landfill. All waste that is generated are development by constructing several essentially processed. All recyclable waste patches of bitumen roads in different parts either recycled or their energy is recovered. of the country. All biodegradable waste is composted or otherwise treated. All plastics waste is Another method of feedstock recycling viz scientifically disposed of. If we look into the pyrolysis of polymers into LDO range of Indian Scenario, we find that almost all rigid hydrocarbon fuel is also a very useful plastics waste gets collected by the informal technology in scientific disposal of all types waste pickers and the same are ultimately of plastics waste. ICPE has supported this recycled. It can be declared without any process by setting up of a pilot plant at a hesitation that no rigid plastics waste from residential colony in the heart of New Delhi. India find their way to the sea causing harm As a result, no plastics waste generated in to the marine life. However, some types of the colony goes to landfill from this colony. flexible packaging waste are left abandoned due to techno-economic reasons. The All these measures are part of beating technical solution for recycling / energy plastics pollution being initiated by ICPE recovery has since been provided. ICPE in for over a decade now. association with cement major M/s ACC However, it needs more clarifications as to Ltd has established scientific protocol for what are considered as one-time use plastics coprocessing of all types of plastics waste in products for the consideration of banning cement kiln (except chlorinated plastics). (as per UN Environment directive). While India is the second largest cement producer thin plastic carry bags can be recognised as in the world manufacturing over 200 Mn one-time use plastic and which are legally Tons of cement per year and consumes banned in India since 2011, thicker plastics around 30 Mn Tons of coal per year as bags, which are used many times over a energy input. By replacing 30% coal by longer period of time, should not be termed plastics waste, it is possible to dispose of as one-time use plastic. While emphasis about 10 Mn Tones of plastics waste should be given to avoid very small sized including low-end plastics waste. In fact, packaging design, restrictions on other India does not have this much plastics waste designs should not be imposed without in the country now. However, collection and considering the overall benefit provided by transportation of plastics waste to the nearly the product in its life cycle compared to alternatives. Waste which are seen by naked 3 The Environment Management Volume III: Issue 2 eyes must be disposed of scientifically, there is no second thought about this. However, in this process it is also important that the environment burden, which is not seen by naked eyes, must also not be allowed to increase when some other alternative designs or products are used.