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Problem Statement

Solid waste management is a major global problem, with plastic waste posing significant environmental risks as plastic does not decompose naturally. Each year over 400 million tons of single-use plastic is generated worldwide, with Pakistan producing around 48.5 million tons of solid waste annually. Common types of plastic waste include PET bottles, bags, and food packaging. Recycling plastic into synthetic paper provides an opportunity to reduce plastic waste while producing a material that can be printed on, helping address Pakistan's solid waste issue.

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Uroosa Shaikh
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334 views1 page

Problem Statement

Solid waste management is a major global problem, with plastic waste posing significant environmental risks as plastic does not decompose naturally. Each year over 400 million tons of single-use plastic is generated worldwide, with Pakistan producing around 48.5 million tons of solid waste annually. Common types of plastic waste include PET bottles, bags, and food packaging. Recycling plastic into synthetic paper provides an opportunity to reduce plastic waste while producing a material that can be printed on, helping address Pakistan's solid waste issue.

Uploaded by

Uroosa Shaikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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 Problem statement

Solid waste management is a worldwide problem. E-waste, food waste, paper waste,
and plastic garbage are examples of waste that has a negative influence on the
environment. The environment deteriorates because of materials that surpass the
balance of their production and destruction. Plastic is one such material that offers a
significant environmental risk. Plastic, which does not decompose naturally, is
produced in large quantities and dumped into the environment. According to research
by the United Nations Environment Programme, around 400 million tonnes of single-
use plastic (SUP) garbage is generated each year (representing 47% of total plastic
waste), with about half of this quantity being for disposal, or purchases that are
thrown within a year.
According to National Geographic, an unbelievable 91 percent of plastic is never
recycled. Every year, more than 3.3 million tonnes of plastic are discarded in
Pakistan, with most of it ending up in landfills, uncontrolled dumps, or spread across
land and water bodies. Pakistan produces around 48.5 million tonnes of solid waste
each year, with an annual increase of more than 2%. Polyethylene Terephthalate
(PET), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Poly Vinyl chloride (PVC), Low-Density
Polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), and Polystyrene (PS) are examples of
plastic trash. SUPs, or single-use plastics, were created for the present "throwaway
society" and are only meant to be used once. They're becoming more popular over
the world, especially as packaging and consumables like SUP shopping bags and
throwaway tableware. PET is a non-biodegradable and non-sustainably produced
material. Water, juice, soft drink bottles, Food jars, Microwavable containers and
Plastic films are made of PET (type 1) plastic. SUPs that are landfilled or burnt
pollute the environment, use valuable land, and deplete natural resources. PET
bottles emit more than 100 times the harmful emissions into the air and water as
glass bottles of the same size. The following are some of the drawbacks of non-
biodegradable plastics:
Plastic can take 400-1000 years to decompose naturally.
Plastic materials block waterways, oceans, seas, and lakes.
Many animals die after consuming plastic materials.
There is dire need to solve this problem and the opportunities are there to
accomplish it. One way to recycle plastic water bottles is to convert it into synthetic
paper. One group of researchers have recycled PP plastic into paper. According to
them, it provides a means of obtaining a film capable of accepting inks, if some sort
of surface treatment is used but according to some other researchers, the generation
rate of PET plastic is much more than the PP. It is required to recycle PET plastic in
a more economical way. With an intention to recycle plastic waste, a synthetic paper
will be produced by adding source of CaCO3 which will be obtained from eggshells,
plastic waste bottles will be recycled on one hand and eggshells waste will be
recycled on other hand. This would potentially reduce solid waste problem in the
country.

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