Plastic waste

The research evaluated the association between plastics and endocrine disruptors, as well as the viable and active ways to mitigate the challenges posed by plastic pollution. Consumption of seafood represents one major pathway for the exposure of human to microplastic. Microplastics may pass up to higher levels in food chain. Three likely toxic effects of plastic particles have been put forward: the release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) adsorbed to the plastics, leaching of plastic additives, and plastic particles themselves. Chemical additives such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), bisphenol S (BPS), etc., used in plastic production pose several health risks to both humans and animals. Due to the use of some chemical additives during production of plastics, plastics have potentially risk and harmful effects that could be carcinogenic or encourage endocrine disruption. Some of the chemical additives are used as phthalate plasticizers (phthalates) and brominated flame retardants. By biomonitoring, chemicals in plastics, such as phthalates and BPA, have been identified in human population. Humans are exposed to the chemicals through the skin, nose, or mouth. Bisphenol A (BPA) can disrupt normal, regular physiological levels of sex hormones. Recent studies suggest that BPS also has endocrine disrupting properties, just like BPA. The presence of a hydroxy group on the benzene ring makes bisphenol S and bisphenol A endocrine disruptors. A widespread concern about phthalate exposure is the possibility that it is the cause of a drop in male fertility. Some recent studies suggest that tetrabromobisphenol A may be an endocrine disruptor and immunotoxicant. As an endocrine disruptor, tetrabromobisphenol A may interfere with both estrogens and androgens. There is also growing concern that PBDEs share the environmental long life and bioaccumulation properties of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins. It is not known if PBDEs can cause cancer in people, although liver tumors developed in rats and mice that ate extremely large amounts of decaBDE throughout their lifetime. The use of biodegradable plastics, policymaking, institutional arrangements, plastic waste collection, promotion of non-usage and lessening usage, incineration, use of the enzyme PETase, and creating awareness, in addition to banning have been the active ways for the management of plastic pollution.

Large amounts of plastics are discarded worldwide each year, leading to a significant mass of waste in landfills and pollution to soil, air, and waterways. Upcycling is an efficient way to transform plastic waste into high-value products and can significantly lessen the environmental impact of plastic production/consumption. In this article, current advances and future directions in plastic waste upcycling technologies are discussed. In particular, this review focuses on the production of high-value materials from plastic waste conversion methods, including pyrolysis, gasification, photoreforming, and mechanical reprocessing. Plastic waste compositions, conversion products, reaction mechanisms, catalyst selection, conversion efficiencies, polymer design, and polymer modification are also explored. The main challenges facing the adoption and scale-up of these technologies are highlighted. Suggestions are given for focusing future research and development to increase the efficiency of upcycling practices.

Plastics are non-biodegradable materials and means to degrade our environment. The waste plastic and its disposal are a major threat to the environment, which results in pollution and global warming. The utilization of plastic waste in bituminous mixes enhances its properties and also its strength. In addition, it will also be a solution to plastic disposal & various defects in pavement i.e., pot holes, corrugation, ruts, etc. the waste plastic used are poly-ethylene, polystyrene , polypropylene. There are two processes available for the mixing of plastic in bituminous mix such as wet process and dry process. The waste plastic is shredded & coated over aggregate & mixed with hot bitumen and resulted mix is used for pavement construction is known as the dry process. But in wet process waste plastic is ground and made into shredded form; various percentage of plastic is mixed with the bitumen and study the durability of the roads laid out with shredded plastic waste is much more compared with roads with asphalt with the ordinary mix which is the objective of the present study. The use of the innovative technology not only strengthened the road construction but also increased the road life as well as will help to improve the environment and also creating a source of income. It's economical and eco-friendly. In this project, we have discussed about the bitumen with plastic properties to be considered in design of pavement, pavement design, and process of construction flexible pavement.

Plastic products have become an integral part of our daily life as a basic need. It is produced on a massive scale worldwide and its production crosses 150 million tons per year globally. In India, approximately 9 million tons of plastic products are consuming every year (2010) which is expected to rise to 12 million tons by 2012 and estimates say it would double this value in 2025. Its broad range application is mainly in packing films,
wrapping materials, fluid containers, clothing, household, and industrial products and
building materials. This project deals with an effective method of dumping plastic waste
that has accumulated. Using plastics in building mortar and plasters can be employed
in an effective manner that is completely environment friendly.

Nigeria is reported as having released up to 0.34 million tonnes of plastic debris into the ocean in 2010 and ranked as the ninth country in the world for pollution of the marine environment. It is a postcolonial, oil rich country where plastic is cheap and widely available. Currently there is no government policy regulating single-use plastic products. Previous studies have identified university student residential areas as ‘hot spots’ for plastic waste. We used qualitative methods (focus groups and semi-structured interviews) to explore how students made sense of their single use plastics consumption (including ‘pure water’ plastic sachets) and analysed how young Nigerians interact with plastic waste. Students perceived plastic waste as malodorous, causing harm to human health and blighting environmental aesthetics. Students saw themselves as the cause of plastic pollution (as consumers) whereas plastic industries were framed positively as producers bringing progress and prosperit...

In this study we investigated the physical and mechanical properties of cement mortars, partially replaced with plastic (recycled plastic aggregate, RPA) recovered from WEEE (namely, “e-plastics”). The plastic housing of 14 LCD screens was sampled and, subsequently, compositionally and elementally analysed. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), being the most commonly found polymer in WEEE, was used as aggregate in the cement mortar. The replacement percentages (RPs) used were 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10% and 12.5%, while the water to cement (w/c) ratio was maintained constant at 0.5 in all tests. The basic properties (e.g. compressive strength (CS), modulus of elasticity (MoE), density (ρ), porosity (Φ) and water absorption (WA)) of the created specimens were investigated. The obtained results, for all RPs, (especially those of 7.5% and 10%) exhibited an increase in the CS of the specimens by 15.4% and 7.8%, respectively, with the MoE decreased in both cases by 18.1% and 23.8%, respectively. The rest of the examined specimens’ physical properties measured (ρ, Φ, and WA) indicated, also, greater strength but lower ductility than the reference (standard) specimen. Concluding, the use of recovered plastics from WEEE as recycled aggregates (RAs) in cement could potentially be proved a useful downcycling alternative for waste plastics.

Plastics are both low-cost and almost arbitrarily long-lasting materials also used for numerous products in forest management. However, plastic products constitute a significant share of solid waste and show a varying persistence in the environment. Although the use of plastics in terrestrian and marine environments is already widely discussed, a comprehensive and critical appraisal of treeshelters and treeguards has not yet been conducted. This is all the more surprising as they are the most important applications of plastic products in German forestry. When considering the strict specifications of close-to-nature and sustainable forest management in Germany, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of treeshelter and treeguard use taking into account environmental as well as forestry legislation. This study assesses plastic product use in forests based on federal legislation and for two selected states, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. We analysed a) which environmental laws and norms are applicable to treeshelters at the end of their life span of, b) which are the resulting consequences for their use in forestry practice, and c) which solutions exist for further use of commercially available treeshelters and innovative new treeshelters. Five groups of tree shelters have been assessed: A/made of plastic with a long life span, B/oxo-degradable plastic, each without certification on degradation, C/compostable plastics certified by DIN EN-norms, D/wood, paper or jute without information on impregnation treatment as well as E/treeshelters without any information on the material used nor certification. The assessment takes into account federal legislation, particularly the forest act, the nature conservation act as well as the corresponding legislation at the state level. The study comes to the conclusion that leaving any type of treeshelters in the forests after they have fulfilled their protective purpose, doesn’t conform with the laws in force. As well the forest act requires treeshelters from group A, B, D and E to be removed. Only treeshelters  from group C can potentially be left at the site of installation, under the condition of fast degradation without any residues of microplastics and other contaminants and under the condition that their decomposition products are completely integrating into natural cycle of materials. The current practice of leaving treeshelters on site or just hesitant removal and restrained disposal after having fulfilled their purpose clearly contradicts legal provisions in the two German states under consideration.

. in questo lavoro viene analizzata la bioplastica, ottenuta dall'amido di mais, nei suoi aspetti produttivi e di utilizzazione in agricoltura nella formulazione di films pacciamanti, con evidenti vantaggi ambientali ed aziendali dovuti alla eliminazione delle operazioni di rimozione dei teli dal campo e dello smaltimento finale. La bio plastica come evoluzione della chimica verde.

This contribution examines the magic-realist metaphor of the Matacão in Karen Tei Yamashita's (1990) debut novel Through the Arc of the Rain Forest as a trope that invites us to imagine, reflect on, and explore plastic's cross-cultural meanings, aesthetic experiences, and materialist implications. I contend that through the Matacão, Yamashita engenders a narrative about, as well as an aesthetic experience of, plastic that is inherently ambivalent and paradoxical. While it provides societies with material wealth and sensual pleasures, it poses at the same time a profound threat to life-human and nonhuman. The main part of the article is divided into two major sections: in the first part, I read Yamashita's story about the Matacão as historiographic metafiction that parodies the socio-cultural history of plastic and its utopian promises and failures. In the second part, I draw on Catherine Malabou's philosophical concept of plasticity to explore the Matacão's material agency, as well as the social mobility and economic connectivity of Yamashita's human protagonists in their plastic environments. The theoretical perspective of Malabou's concept of plasticity shifts the focus to the agentic forces of the waste material and allows us to read Yamashita's Matacão as both a site and material that, notwithstanding its devastating impacts, also holds potentialities for resilience and repair, and even the possibility for an, at least temporary, utopia.

Purpose: To identify, analyze, and synthesize the published research about the developments to replace synthetic plastics used in agriculture; to guide researchers and practitioners from various knowledge areas to identify gaps of information, the most prolific authors, and the influential scientific papers that have been published. Research Method: This paper presents a systematic review with a bibliometric analysis; the search was made on the SCOPUS® database up to November 2020. Subsequently, a selection of articles according to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion was carried out and, using bibliometric indicators, VOSviewer v. 1.6.15 and bibliometrix v. 3.0 software, information were obtained to answer the research questions. Findings: Results indicate low scientific production worldwide, only six articles per year as of 2005. Contributions concentrate on a few researchers and developments such as plastic film, mulching, and controlled release materials, and for raw materials polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), Polylactic acid (PLA), and Chitosan. The most prolific country is China, with only 13 articles. Siwek P. is the researcher with the most outstanding contribution and permanence with four documents. Dharmalingam S.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 12: Responsible consumption and production and 14: Life Below Water coincide in the targeting of the problem of plastic pollution. The problem has been garnering immense media attention in the recent years. Efforts to reduce unnecessary plastic consumption have been seen in social movements, in corporate policies and most noticeably, in regulatory control in the form of bans for specific types of single-use plastic items. A paradox exists as, arguably, civilization cannot sustain its current developmental momentum without the use of plastics, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic demanding higher levels of protection and hygiene. An ideal goal for the transformation of the plastic value chain is the concept of circular economythe complete return of post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW) for repeated re-consumption after recovery and recycling processes. Hence, corporate engagement to manage the plastic value chain in ways that commit to the creation of circular economies is crucial. While reduction and substitution are being pursued, the current scale of the plastic production is still expected to remain the same or increase for the next few years as life cycle assessments (LCA), test trials of consumer acceptance towards novel delivery mechanisms and other forms of innovation are emerging. The reduction of plastics in the private-sector is allegedly ongoing but still intangible in Asia as daily lives continue to rely heavily on single-use plastics and large amounts of plastic packaging. While recovery and collection innovations are underway for application and are picking up speed, there is still an unfathomable amount of marine litter entering waterways, which aggravates the bigger-than-ever problem of plastic pollution in Asia. Responsible production has long adopted the concept of credits. Carbon credits are the most notable one, while palm oil credits are also prominently purchased by manufacturers to offset any palm oil content that is not yet sourced from certified sustainable suppliers. The concept of credits for plastics is currently sporadically seen across the world, especially in developing regions of Asia, but remains much less explored than their counterparts for other commodities. "Plastic neutrality" or "net plastic circularity" in the form of credit purchasing by businesses could likely be the final missing piece of the puzzle picturing a circular economy, especially as an interim measure and later as a component to be integrated into existing and upcoming extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. In theory, the credit system could serve as an offsetting mechanism to recover an equivalent or higher amount of plastics to be produced by the credit-purchasing responsible manufacturer. This paper explores how responsible plastic production, accounting, recovery and offsetting could be enabled through standardized plastic credits, similar to the existing carbon and sustainable palm oil credit systems, could be applied in Asia to achieve the goal of recovery of plastics for circularity.

The onset of industrialization and the sustained urban growth of large population causes the build-up of large amount plastic wastes. Because of the non-biodegradable property of plastics, decomposition is not possible. So, they remain in the environment for a long time, pollute soil and water that creates ecological problems. If these harmful non-biodegradable materials can be substituted as a construction material by using in concrete, that will be a significant source of plastic wastes management. This paper deals with the investigation of using grinded plastic wastes as a partial replacement of fine aggregate in concrete and to find the optimum percentage of plastic that can be used in concrete without reduction of concrete strength or with a slight amount of strength reduction which are considered as negligible. Plastic wastes consist of discarded old computers, TVs, refrigerators, radios, old electrical and electronic equipment were collected at first and then grinded through using a pulverizing machine. Through ACI method, a mix design was made for concrete of grade M-28. The proportion of mixing of the grinded plastic wastes are 2 %, 4 %, 6 %, 8 % & 10 %. The specimens have been cured for 7 & 28 days. Compressive strength and Tensile strength test of concrete were conducted. As the melting temperature of the plastic is low thus it is susceptible to temperature. So, it is important to focus on the impact of heat in concrete strength when using grinded plastic. Post-heat compressive strength test was also conducted. After obtaining the data, they were analyzed by comparing with a controlled specimen. Result had showed that there was slight reduction in strength with the mix proportion of 2%, 4% and 6% of grinded plastic wastes.

The growth of plastic waste increases every year in almost all countries in the world, including Indonesia. One of the most potential ways of utilizing plastic waste is in the field of building construction. Plastic, and other agriculture waste such as sawdust and rice husk, had been investigated in some previous researches to be used in the innovation of building materials. This research aims to find the composition of plastic waste which was combined with sawdust and rice husk to become an alternative brick material as thermal insulation for the building. This research used two methods; the first was to produce some samples from plastic waste materials with sawdust or rice husk and the second was to measure the thermal characteristics on those sample materials. Sampling was conducted by using variations of the composition of the mixture which was then tested for its ability to absorb heat during the day and night. Measurement results showed that the percentage of 70% plastic waste increased the conductivity of the materials, both during the day and night. A recommendation of plastic waste and rice husk or sawdust composition was to use a ratio of 40:60 or 60:40 which would reduce the outdoor air temperature of 0.8 to 0.9°C at daytime. Rice husk as the supporting materials would increase the porosity of the materials and absorb the outdoor air temperature. But this porosity would reduce the ability to store the outdoor air temperature.

Aim of study is examine the effect on compressive strength of concrete by use of waste plastic and human hair as composite fiber reinforced material. The above plastic waste and human hair are mixed with cement concrete in various proportions (0.1%to 2%) and test specimens were casted (cubes and prisms) the study the behavior of plastic mixed concrete in axial compression. Study of human hair and plastic fiber is taken because of its excellent attributes which are available in low cost as compare to other fiber. At 5% optimum modifier content, the strength of the modified concrete was found to be 1.2 times greater than the plain concrete. By using Plastic waste and human hair as modifier, we can reduce the quantity of cement and sand by their weight, hence decreasing the overall cost of construction. The experimental finding in all tested sample will encourage the future researches in direction of long term of performance to extending thick chip for economical type of fiber use n structural application and reduced the environmental problem. By testing we found that there is an increment in the various properties and strength of concrete by the addition of human hair as fiber reinforcement which makes it suitable for an alternative additive for concrete to enhance its mechanical properties.

This report provides an overview as to scale, sources, and negative impacts of marine plastic pollution, with a particular focus on marine plastic pollution resulting from the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) resulting from COVID-19. The number of masks entering the environment on a monthly basis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is
staggering. From a global production projection of 52 billion masks for 2020, we estimate that 1.56 billion masks will enter our oceans in 2020, amounting to between 4,680 and 6,240 metric tonnes of plastic pollution. These masks will take as long as 450 years to break down and all the while serve as a source of micro plastic and negatively impact marine wildlife and ecosystems.

Evidence shows that the majority of aquatic field microplastics (MPs) could be microfibers (MFs) which can be originated directly from massive sources such as textile production and shedding from garments, agricultural textiles and clothes washing. In addition, wear and tear of tyres (TRWPs) emerges as a stealthy major source of micro and nanoplastics, commonly under-sampled/detected in the field. In order to compile the current knowledge in regards to these two major MPs sources, concentrations of concern in aquatic environments, their distribution, bulk emission rates and water mitigation strategies were systematically reviewed. Most of the aquatic field studies presented MFs values above 50%. MPs concentrations varied from 0.3 to 8925 particles m-3 in lakes, from 0.69 to 8.7 × 106 particles m-3 in streams and rivers, from 0.16 to 192000 particles m-3 estuaries, and from 0 to 4600 particles m-3 in the ocean. Textiles at every stage of production, use and disposal are the major source of synthetic MFs to water. Laundry estimates showed an averaged release up to 279972 tons year-1 (high washing frequency) from which 123000 tons would annually flow through untreated effluents to rivers, streams, lakes or directly to the ocean. TRWPs in the aquatic environments showed concentrations up to 179 mg L-1 (SPM) in runoff river sediments and up to 480 mg g-1 in highway runoff sediments. Even though average TRWR emission is of 0.95 kg year-1 per capita (10 nm- 500 μm) there is a general scarcity of information about their aquatic environmental levels probably due to no-availability or inadequate methods of detection. The revision of strategies to mitigate the delivering of MFs and TRWP into water streams illustrated the importance of domestic laundry retention devices, Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) with at least a secondary treatment and stormwater and road-runoff collectors quality improvement devices.

Common plastic production and use have become one of the driving forces behind climate change due to unprecedented world pollution of land and sea. The culminating production of plastic is an estimated 7.8 billion tonnes as of 2015 (Our World Data, 2015). 50% of these plastics used are single-use, and only 9% of plastic made between 1950 and 2015 has been recycled (Geyer, Jambeck and Law, 2017). 8-14 million tonnes of plastic per year make it into the sea, polluting 88% of the Ocean and waters (Sherrington, 2016). In 2019 plastic production and incineration CO2 emissions will amount to over 850 million metric tonnes in one year (Center for International Environmental Law, 2019), this is set to rise to 2.75 billion metric tonnes per year by 2050. This has led to a demand for biodegradable bioplastic alternatives to curb pollution and reach global net zero. Production of bioplastic has low costs as it can be made from natural waste products and they are easily disposable as many are compostable or recyclable. This study aims to synthesise biofilm materials from 100% renewable materials such as starch, gelatine and agar. The biofilm material was analysed to ascertain parameters of solubility, swell volumes, chemical leaching, tensile strength and biodegradability. The data obtained was used to determine suitability for industrial and commercial use. The data collected indicated that though the biofilm material produced was not suitable for long term or industrial use, it exhibited qualities suitable for short term commercial uses such as single-use food packaging.

Developing countries like Iraq suffers from high quantities of solid waste such as empty beverage plastic bottles. This type of waste forms one of the serious environmental pollution resources. The main aim of this research is to study the effect of adding Waste Plastic Fibers (WPF) on the mechanical properties of ferrocement mortar. Waste plastic resulting from cutting plastic beverage Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles by electrical shredder machine, which is used to cut paper, was added with different volume ratios of fibers to cement mortar, and these percentages were (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%). Reference mix was made for comparative reason. The following tests were made to investigate ferro-cement mortars mechanical properties as followed: compressive strength, flexural strength and density.
      Results showed that, the compressive strength decreased slightly with the increase in WPF content. The lowest value of compressive strength in (14, 28 and 56) days was (37.1 MPa) for (Vf=1.5%) at (14) days test age. Decrease ranged was between (1.1-12.2) percent with respect the reference mix. Flexural strength increased with increased of the waste plastic fibers volume. The highest value of flexural strength in (14, 28 and 56) days was (8.22 MPa) for (Vf=1.5%) for (56) days age. The increase in the flexural strength in (14, 28 and 56) days ranged between (2.27-16.67) % with respect to reference mix.

The purpose of this study was to determine the different perceptions of Tacloban City residences in three (3) different barangays’ chosen based on a criteria set by the researcher on plastic waste distribution.

For this purpose, a survey questionnaire was made using a mixed method of: qualitative and quantitative design.  A Survey questionnaire was used to gather the quantitative data, while Focused Group Discussion (FGD) for qualitative data. Twenty-five (25) residents, five (5) from each barangay were the participants of the study.

Results of the survey showed among the twenty-five (25) participants that sixty-four point twenty-nine percent (64.29%) of the respondents were female and the remaining thirty-five point seventy-one percent (35.71%) were male. Half of the respondents were from the ages of  15-20 while the remaining fifty percent (50%)  belonged to the participants that exceeded the age twenty (20). Results revealed that the plastic most found littering the streets, clogging the canals, often being thrown out, always troublesome to transport, and often gives off a bad odor in the barangays are fifty percent (50%) plastic food packaging, plastic bag, and plastic wrappers. Other results revealed that the plastic the barangays find most useful and most used themselves are twenty percent (20%) plastic bottles and plastic containers. Some results tied in frequency those were the plastics that often piling up and are often found in the dumpsite, results also revealed they were ten percent (10%) plastic food packaging, plastic bag, and plastic wrappers and ten percent (10 %) plastic bottles and plastic containers. The last but not the least, the results reveal that the most used “single-use” plastics in the barangay are ten percent (10 %) plastic cups, plastic utensils, and plastic Styrofoam. Most problems for the participants were rooted from the trash being littered everywhere, coming at twenty-seven point twenty-seven percent (27.27%). Aside from that most effects mentioned due to the problem about forty-two point eighty-six percent (42.86%) was the flooding of their respective drains. To address their problems, forty percent (40%) thought to do segregation, but it is not as sustainable as they hope it would be, because of the lack of cooperation (9.09%) and discipline (18.18%) they fail to do the actual task.

The crisis brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic has altered global waste generation dynamics and therefore has necessitated special attention. The unexpected fluctuations in waste composition and quantity also require a dynamic response from policymakers. This study highlights the challenges faced by the solid waste management sector during the pandemic and the underlying opportunities to fill existing loopholes in the system. The study presents specific cases for biomedical waste, plastic waste, and food waste management - all of which have been a major cause of concern during this crisis. Further, without active citizen participation and cooperation, commingled virus-laden biomedical waste with the regular solid waste stream pose significant negative health and safety issues to sanitation workers. Single-use plastic usage is set to bounce back due to growing concerns of hygiene, particularly from products used for personal protection and healthcare purposes. It is expected that household food waste generation may reduce due to increased conscious buying of more non-perishable items during lockdown and due to concerns of food shortage. However, there is a chance of increase in food waste from the broken supply chains such as food items getting stuck on road due to restriction in vehicle movements, lack of workers in the warehouse for handling the food products, etc. The study also stresses the need for building localized resilient supply chains to counter such situations during future pandemics. While offering innovative solutions to existing waste management challenges, the study also suggests some key recommendations to the policymakers to help handle probable future pandemics if any holistically.

This article explores a new model of urban practice that is not limited by environmental moralism by investigating theories of plastic, which is today’s prevailing environmental problem and also a ubiquitous strata of everyday life. In doing so, it investigates the following two things. The first is to speculate about the ontological dimensions of plastic. Often thrown away after a single use and thrown into the ocean in the form of microplastics, plastic is rubbish and also a toxic material influencing climate change on a global level. It is both a problematic material and an object to overcome. However, such an objectification is a result that does not pay enough attention to its ubiquity. By considering plastic as a crucial form of life, this article pays close attention to its ontological dimensions. The second thing is to examine “assemblage urbanism” as a new form of urban model that could be further explored in relation to the plastic ontology. Assemblage urbanism brings Gilles Deleuze’s notion of assemblage into urban discourses, thereby trying to rethink the conventional theories of the city, represented by its counterpart known as “critical urbanism” that highlights an analytical approach. This article examines the debate between those two camps, which appeared in serial issues of the journal City in 2011, as well as paying attention to the weak points of assemblage urbanism. What this article derives through the investigation is a theory called “plastic urbanism,” a new form of urban practice that is not subjugated by the Anthropocene as a grand narrative, but offers a microscopic and diagrammatic model of the city.

A large number of plastic wastes have been collected from several places such as tourist and public places etc., High density polyethylene bags are collected, cleaned, and used as a replacement for cement in the manufacturing of Paver Blocks. Plastic waste is available in large quantity and hence the cost factor comes down. when we having waste plastic then we can use as reuse, recycle and reduce. Be mindful of what you do, pay attention to the items you buy, and always check yourself to see if you need it or if it comes in a package with less waste.

Disposal of large quantity of plastic waste has emerged as an important environmental challenge, and its recycling is facing a big problem due to non-degradable nature. Due to plastic does not decompose biologically, the amount of plastic waste in our surroundings is steadily increasing. The proposed sand bricks which is made up by adding plastic waste in crush form in sand bricks may help to reuse the plastic waste as one of the additives material of bricks, and to help the disposal problem of plastic waste. The properties of plastic bricks which contain varying percentages of plastic were tested for compressive strength, water absorption and efflorescence. It shows that an appreciable improvement in the performance of bricks can be achieved by introducing crush type of plastic waste into plastic bricks. In view of utilization of plastic waste material for developing sustainable construction material, the present paper reviews plastic waste materials in different compositions of 0% to 20% that were added to the raw material to develop plastic waste bricks. The compression strength of the bricks is reviewed and recommendations are suggested as the outcome of the study. It was found that the reduction in compressive strength, due to replacement of plastic by waste plastic waste, is minimal and can be enhanced by addition of super plasticizer. The water absorption and efflorescence however showed excellent performance

Recycling of post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW) is increasingly promoted as the way to achieve circular economy (CE), by converting plastic waste into secondary materials that can be fed back into the system, for use in the same or in new components and products, with similar or lower functionality; hence “closing the loop”. Up until today, research on examining the environmental impacts, economic implications and technicalities of plastic waste recycling deals only with one particular aspect, or stage on the plastic value chain, lacking coherence and structure. To move this research forward, understanding the challenges and trade-offs in scaling up plastic waste recycling is necessary. Here, we bring together existing literature on the multi-faceted aspects of closing the plastic loop, critically debating on the multi-stakeholder endeavours of promoting circularity in plastics. We present an overview of how design, production, collection and sorting of PCPW present challenges for its recycling, which in turn result to a number of trade-offs. We explain that the evaluation of the multi-dimensional implications of trade-offs, arising from the PCPW recycling, is essential in measuring the long-term sustainability of such systems. This work scrutinises the sustainability of closing the plastic waste loops and sets a future research agenda.

Plastic is one of the most important industrial materials whose use has increased tremendously and dramatically in recent years, as the use of this substance is increasing day by day. The reason for the increase in consumption of plastic is owing essentially to the advantages it possesses such as its light weight [1], durability, flexibility, low cost [2], low water absorption, stable dimensions, good resistance to chemicals except for alkalis [3]. This massive production and high consumption of plastics has led to the accumulation of solid waste, a large part of which is produced by domestic wastes [1]. As this waste is considered a real threat to the environment because it is not degradable and it occupies a large area of land fill. Another disadvantage of using it is that it causes obstruction of water drainage through the soil, which in turn leads to contamination of the soil with diseases caused by mosquitoes [4]. In addition, it negatively affects public health [1]. To overcome these problems, recycling plastic waste and using it in concrete can be an appropriate solution to preserve the environment [5]. Overall, there are many types of plastic waste used, but the most used type is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Accordingly, PET is one of the most problematic plastic materials for the environment and the method of treating it through burning leads to the production of toxic gases that are harmful to human health [6]. Therefore, we see that many studies have trend towards making this material environmentally friendly by including it in concrete mixes. There are numerous studies

The main objective of this study is together various examination studies available by different researchers for waste utilization of copper slag and plastic waste through various techniques. Waste materials increases and causes environmental pollution. Every year 18billion pounds of plastic seeps in to oceans. Many researchers found that by replacing the useful waste like copper slag and plastic waste with fine aggregate and cement respectively can be economical and eco friendly. This project present the usage of copper slag for the partial replacement of fine aggregate with plastic to make a paver block.

Executive Summary: Since 2014, waste production in Hargeisa has increased by 212%, yet literature suggests that less than 15% of this waste is collected by formal waste collection. This has created an exceptional environmental crisis exacerbated by lack of sustainable waste management (SWM). It is also a 'women's crisis' as they are often more exposed to chemicals and waste as a result of different socioeconomic roles, defined along gender lines. According to a study in Indonesia, and indeed in many countries, women continue to be expected to perform the bulk of domestic labour in and around the home, including sorting, removal, and disposal of household waste, which in many cases includes open burning of plastics and other household waste materials. Up to 33% of a woman's chemical burden can be passed on to her infant during gestation, through the placenta, as well as during breastfeeding (UNDP, 2017) negatively impacting not only the current generation, but the next one. Throughout Africa, SWM is usually the responsibility of devolved county or municipal authorities, and these entities have often failed to provide the required standard as managing waste is often beyond their capacity. Implementing community-based waste recycling is a sustainable solution to these issues. The overall ambition of this project is to provide realistic, implementable and sustainable opportunities to improve the quantity of plastic in the environment and simultaneously developing access to waged earnings. The proposal begins with the mission, scope and aims of the project; followed by Political and Situation Analysis and literature review explicating the growing need for sustainable SWM in Hargeisa, the proposal with an overview of objectives and anticipated outcomes. This project will be achieved under three broad groups of activities: 1. Data collection; 2. The establishment of a community steering committee; 3. Developing a piloting scheme in one community to test transportability and scaling up of the enterprise to other districts. Implementation of the proposal will be managed through a Somali business run by passionate, social entrepreneurs who have extensive local knowledge of Somaliland, and global connections that facilitate in delivering social and economic development and positive change. The project involves a wide range of stakeholders in the decision-making, most importantly, those of the communities in which we are working, which will emphasise knowledge-sharing to shape the response to local need.

As COVID-19 continues to present unimaginable threats to the future of the environment, it is not impossible to rethink that the continual existence of human race is at stake. More than 60% of toxic wastes released to the environment are largely contributed by manufacturing and service firms. Hence, this present study examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on corporate waste management program among selected American firms. A total of 42 notable firms across 3 cities in the US (Detroit, Atlanta and Houston) were successfully interviewed on their choices to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover their industrial waste since the outbreak of COVID-19. More than 80% of firms studied often generate plastics as waste; out of which, all firms (100%) agreed that COVID-19 encumbered their choices to manage plastic wastes. This study reasoned that COVID-19 will undoubtedly contribute to plastic pollution and its associated ecological risk in the US if appropriate measures are not painstakingly implemented. This study therefore recommends that Government and relevant stakeholders should restructure existing waste management policies and sensitize American firms on grave dangers of plastic pollution and other toxic wastes in the environment. Meanwhile, this study has great implications for countries in the developing world. This is because developing countries are already mired with the challenges of managing plastic wastes in the pre-COVID-19 era and are further overwhelmed with the unprecedented plastic waste generation during COVID-19. Considering that in Africa and other developing nation, standard waste management technologies and waste emergency policies to curb the pandemic is lacking or insufficient, and hence suggesting they may witness more serious impact of plastic pollution. Government at all tiers should not only make laudable waste management policies to curb environmental pollution, but must show sincerity of purpose and political-will to implement and enforce these polices to curtail impeding global impact of plastic pollution aggravated by COVID-19 pandemic.