PLASTIC
WASTE
                            MANAGEMENT
                                  ISSUES, SOLUTIONS
                                    & CASE STUDIES
MINISTRY OF HOUSING & URBAN AFFAIRS
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
www.mohua.gov.in                           March 2019
   Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT
  Issues, Solutions and Case Studies
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
           www.mohua.gov.in
             March 2019
                                Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
DISCLAIMER
At most care and effort has been taken while collecting and confirming the accuracy on the details
about the case studies and other information mentioned in the Advisory. However, it is suggested
that, any one desiring to replicate the processes/treatment methods, to make diligent enquiry and
thorough study on the suitability of the technologies based on the requirement, usage and intent.
Ministry assumes no liability on the completeness, accuracy or adequacy of any technology or the
information provided, or any loss or damage which might arise out of adopting these processes/
methods for on-site and decentralised waste processing technologies.
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Contents
1.      Plastic Waste: A Global Concern                                              1
1.1     Harmful Effects of Plastics                                                  2
2.      Plastic Waste Generation in India                                            5
3.      Plastic Waste Management                                                     6
3.1     Types of Plastics                                                            6
3.2     Plastic Waste Management (PWM Rules), 2016                                   7
3.3     Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recovery                                         8
3.3.1   Reduce                                                                       9
3.3.2   Reuse                                                                      18
3.3.3   Recycle                                                                    18
3.3.4   Recovery                                                                   42
4.      Way Forward                                                                46
4.1     Ten step Roadmap for Governments                                           46
4.2     Adoption of ‘Circular Economy’                                             47
4.3     Extended Producer’s Responsibilities (EPR)                                 48
        References                                                                 52
        Annexure                                                                   53
I.      Ban on ‘one time use’ and ‘throwaway’ Plastics in Tamil Nadu               53
II.     Ban on use of plastic carry bags in Himachal Pradesh                       56
III.    Ban on manufacturing and use of ‘Thermocol Cutlery’ in Himachal Pradesh    59
IV.     Ban on sale and use of disposable items made from Styrofoam in Sikkim      61
V.      Government order for the Use of Plastics in Road construction.             62
Vi.     Use of Plastic in Tamil Nadu while constructing Roads                      65
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1. Plastic Waste: A Global Concern
Plastic products have become an integral part of our                or groundwater resources. While some kinds of plastic
daily life as a result of which the polymer is produced             do not decompose at all, others could take up to 450
at a massive scale worldwide. On an average,                        years to break down. The figure captures per capita
produc- tion of plastic globally crosses 150 Million                plastic consumption in FY 2014-15.
tonnes per year. Its broad range of application is in
packaging films, wrapping materials, shopping and                   Plastics are not inherently bad, and they have many
garbage bags, fluid containers, clothing, toys,                     redeeming ecological features. Many of the techniques
household and industrial products, and building                     we utilize in our designs involve targeted use of plastic
materials.                                                          products. Their durability and low maintenance reduce
                                                                    material replacement, their light weight reduces
It is estimated that approximately 70% of plastic                   shipping energy, their formulation into glue products
packaging products are converted into plastic waste                 allows for the creation of engineered lumber and sheet
in a short span. Approximately 9.4 million TPA plastic              products from recycled wood, and their formulation
waste is generated in the country, which amounts to                 into superior insulation and sealant products improves
26,000 TPD2 . Of this, about 60% is recycled, most                  the energy performance of our structures.
of it by the informal sector. While the recycling rate in
India is considerably higher than the global average of             Once plastic is discarded after its utility is over, it is
20%3 , there is still over 9,400 tonnes of plastic waste            known as plastic waste. It is a fact that plastic waste
which is either landfilled or ends up polluting streams
1 Source: Overview of Plastic Waste Management by CPCB (http://cpcb.nic.in/displaypdf.php?id=cGxhc3RpY3dhc3RlL21hbmFnZW1lbnRfcGxhc3
  RpY3dhc3RlLnBkZg==)
2 Source: UNIDO Report- Recycling of Plastics in Indian perspective by Dr. Smita Mohanty
3 Source: https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics
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never degrades, and remain on landscape for                                desirable traits: its durability and resistance to
several years. Mostly, plastic waste is recyclable but                     decomposition, is also the source of one of its
recycled      products      are     more      harmful      to    the       greatest liabilities when it comes to the disposal of
environment as                                                             plastics.
this contains additives and colors. The recycling of                       Natural organisms have a very difficult time breaking
a virgin plastic material can be done 2-3 times                            down the synthetic chemical bonds in plastic,
only, because after every recycling, the plastic                           creating the tremendous problem of the material’s
material deteriorates due to thermal pressure                              persistence. A very small amount of total plastic
and its life span is reduced. Hence recycling is                           production (less than 10%) is effectively recycled;
not a safe and permanent solution for plastic                              the remaining plastic is sent to landfills, where it is
waste disposal. It has been observed that                                  destined to remain entombed in limbo for hundreds of
disposal of plastic waste is a serious concern due to                      thousands of years, or to incinerators, where its toxic
improper collection and segregation system.                                compounds are spewed throughout the atmosphere
                                                                           to be accumulated in biotic forms throughout the
 Only 60% of the plastic produced is recycled,                             surrounding ecosystems
 balance 9400 Tonnes of plastic is left
 unattended in environment causing land, air                               • Groundwater and soil pollution
 and water pollution.                                                      Plastic is a material made to last forever, and due
                                                                           to the same chemical composition, plastic cannot
 70% of Plastics packaging products are                                    biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller
 converted into plastic waste in a short span                              pieces5. When buried in a landfill, plastic lies untreated
                                                                           for years. In the process, toxic chemicals from
1.1 Harmful Effects of Plastics                                            plastics drain out and seep into groundwater, flowing
Plastic is versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture                      downstream into lakes and rivers. The seeping of
resistant, strong, and relatively inexpensive . Those  4
                                                                           plastic also causes soil pollution and have now
are the attractive qualities that lead us, around                          started resulting in presence of micro plastics in soil.
the world, to such a voracious appetite and over-
consumption of plastic goods. However, durable                             • Pollution in Oceans
and very slow to degrade, plastic materials that are                       The increased presence of plastic on the ocean
used in the production of so many products,                                surface has resulted in more serious problems. Since
ultimately, become waste. Our tremendous                                   most of the plastic debris that reaches the ocean
attraction to plastic, coupled with an undeniable                          remains floating for years as it does not decompose
behavioral propensity of increasingly over-                                quickly, it leads to the dropping of oxygen level in
consuming, discarding, littering and thus polluting,                       the water, severely affecting the survival of marine
has become a combination of lethal nature.                                 species. Materials like plastic are non-degradable
                                                                           which means they will not be absorbed and recycled.
The disposal of plastics is one of the least                               When oceanic creatures and even birds consume
recognized and most highly problematic areas of                            plastic inadvertently, they choke on it which causes
plastic’s ecological impact. Ironically, one of plastic’s                  a steady decline in their population. The harmful
most
4 Source:   https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/harmful-effects-of-plastic-ze0z1205zsch
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5 Source:   https://plasticpollutioncoalition.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/222813127-Why-is-plastic-harmful-
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effects of plastic on aquatic life are devastating, and      3. 83% of our drinking water contains plastic. Studies
accelerating. In addition to suffocation, ingestion,            show that consuming plastic could lead to
and other macro-particulate causes of death in larger           cancer, effects on hormone levels, and heart
birds, fish, and mammals, the plastic is ingested by            damage. Plastics have been found in the blood of
smaller and smaller creatures (as it breaks down into           even new born babies
smaller and smaller particles) and bio accumulates           4. Over 600 marine species are affected by plastics.
in greater and greater concentrations up the food               Nearly 45000 marine animals have ingested
chain—with humans at the top.                                   plastics and 80% were injured or killed. Plastics
                                                                can pierce animals from inside or cause starvation,
Even plankton, the tiniest creatures in our oceans, are         entanglement, loss of body parts and suffocation.
eating micro plastics and absorbing their hazardous          5. As plastics travel with ocean currents, an island of
chemicals. The tiny, broken down pieces of plastic              trash called the “Great pacific Garbage Patch”
are displacing the algae needed to sustain larger sea           has been created. There are now many islands of
life who feed on them. Some important facts about               trash in our seas.
Plastic:
1. Plastics are made from oil with a highly polluting        • Dangerous for human life
     production process. Plastics just do not dissolve;      Burning of plastic results into formation of a
     they break down into micro-particles that circulate     class of flame retardants called as Halogens.
     in the environment. A single water bottle can take
                                                             Collectively, these harmful chemicals are known
     up to 1000 years to break down.
                                                             to cause the following severe health problems:
2. Asia is the world leader in plastic pollution. The        cancer, endometriosis, neurological damage,
     Philippines   alone   dumped       over   1   billion   endocrine disruption, birth defects and child
     pounds of plastics into our oceans. That is
                                                             developmental disorders, reproductive damage,
     over 118,000
                                                             immune damage, asthma, and multiple organ
     trucks worth. In 30 Years there is likely to be more    damage.
     plastic in our oceans than fish.
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Figure: Whale killed by plastic waste   Figure: Plastics recovered inside the whale
Figure: Great pacific Garbage Patch
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2. Plastic Waste Generation in India
According to the reports for year 2017-18,                               While these stats are 38% higher than the global
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has                               average of 20%, there is no comprehensive methods
estimated that India generates approximately 9.4                         in place for plastic waste management. Additionally,
Million tonnes per annum plastic waste, (which                           there is a constant increase in plastics waste
amounts to 26,000 tonnes of waste per day),                              generation. One of the major reasons for this is that
and out of this approximately 5.6 Million tonnes                         50% of plastic is discarded as waste after single use.
per annum plastic waste is recycled (i.e. 15,600                         This also adds to increase in the carbon footprint
tonnes of waste per                                                      since single use of plastic products increase the
day) and 3.8 Million tonnes per annum plastic waste is                   demand for virgin plastic products.
left uncollected or littered (9,400 tonnes of waste per
day)6.
Out of the 60% of recycled plastic7:
• 70% is recycled at registered facilities
• 20% is recycled by
  Unorganized Sector
• 10% of the plastic is recycled at home.
                                                                          Figure: Plastic waste recycled in India
  Figure: Rise of Plastic Consumption in India
6 Source: UNIDO Report- Recycling of Plastics in Indian perspective by Dr. Smita Mohanty
7 Source: http://cpcb.nic.in/Plastic_waste.php/
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3. Plastic Waste Management
3.1Types of Plastics
The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI)       3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
introduced its resin identification coding system in   4. Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
1988 at the urging of recyclers around the country.    5. Polypropylene (PP)
The seven types of plastic include:                    6. Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS)
1. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET)            7. Miscellaneous plastics (includes: polycarbonate,
2. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)                      polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene,
                                                         fiberglass, and nylon)
Figure: Types of Plastic
Figure: Examples of different types of Plastic
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Plastics are generally categorized into two types8:       Salient features of Plastic Waste
• Thermoplastics: Thermoplastics or Thermo-softening      Management (PWM Rules), 2016
 plastics are the plastics which soften on heating        • These rules shall apply to every Waste Generator,
 and can be molded into desired shape such as               Local Body, Gram Panchayat, Manufacturer,
 PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PS etc.                          Importer, Producer and Brand Owner.
• Thermosets: Thermoset or thermosetting plastics         • Carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic,
 strengthen on heating, but cannot be remolded or           shall not be less than fifty microns in thickness.
 recycled such as Sheet Molding Compounds                   The provision of thickness shall not be applicable
 (SMC), Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP), Bakelite etc.       to carry bags made up of Compostable plastic,
 are the examples of the same.                              complying IS/ISO: 17088.
                                                          • Waste Generators including institutional
Nowadays, an alternate to petro-based plastic carry-        generators, event organizers shall not litter the
bags/films has been introduced i.e. compostable             plastic waste, shall segregate waste and handover
plastics (100% bio-based)carry-bags/films conforming        to authorized agency and shall pay user fee as
IS/ISO: 17088.The Plastic Waste Management (PWM)            prescribed by ULB and spot fine in case of
Rules 2016 also encourage the use of compostable            violation.
carry-bags and products by exempting minimum              • Local Bodies shall encourage use of plastic
thickness criteria of 50μm.Further, as per provision        waste for road construction or energy recovery or
4 (h) of PWM Rules, 2016, the manufacturers or              waste to oil or co-processing in cement kilns etc.
sellers of compostable plastic carry bags shall             It shall be responsible for development and
obtain a certificate from the Central Pollution Control     setting up of infrastructure for segregation,
Board (CPCB) before marketing or selling their              collection, storage, transportation, processing and
products.                                                   disposal of the plastic waste either on its own or
The manufacturers/sellers of compostable carry-             by engaging agencies or producers
bags/products are required to apply to CPCB asper         • Gram Panchayat either on its own or by
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) available on             engaging an agency shall set up, operationalize
CPCB’s Website9.                                            and co- ordinate for waste management in the
                                                            rural
3.2 Plastic Waste Management (PWM Rules),                   area under their control and for performing the
2016 10                                                     associated functions, namely, ensuring segregation,
The Government of India notified Plastic Waste              collection, storage, transportation, plastic waste and
Management (PWM) Rules, 2016 on 18thMarch,                  channelization of recyclable plastic waste fraction
2016, superseding Plastic Waste (Management &               to recyclers having valid registration; ensuring
Handling) Rules, 2011. These rules were further             that no damage is caused to the environment
amended and named as ‘Plastic Waste Management              during this process; creating awareness among
(Amendment) Rules, 2018                                     all stakeholders about their responsibilities; and
                                                            ensuring that open burning of plastic waste does
                                                            not take place
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8 Source: Toolkit on Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016
9 Source: http://cpcb.nic.in/Plastic_waste.php
10 Source: Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016
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• Producer, Importers and Brand Owners need to                            • District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner
   work out modalities for waste collection system for                       shall provide the assistance to SPCBs/PCCs,
   collecting back the plastic waste within a period of                      Secretary-in- Charge, Urban Development
   six months in consultation with local authority/State                     Department and Gram Panchayat under his
   Urban Development Department and implement                                jurisdiction, whenever required for enforcement of
   with two years thereafter.                                                provisions of PWM Rules, 2016.
• State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/
   Pollution Control Committee (PCC) shall be the
                                                                          3.3 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recovery
   authority for enforcement of the provisions of
                                                                          Plastic bags are popular with consumers and
   PWM Rules, 2016, relating to registration,
                                                                          retailers as they are a functional, lightweight, strong,
   manufacture of plastic products and multi-layered
                                                                          cheap, and hygienic way to transport food and other
   packaging, processing and disposal of plastic
                                                                          products11. Most of these go to landfill and
   wastes.
                                                                          garbage heaps after they are used, and some are
• Concerned Secretary-in-charge of Urban
                                                                          recycled. Once littered, plastic bags can find their
   Development of the State or a Union Territory and
                                                                          way on to our streets, parks and into our
   concerned Gram Panchayat in the rural area of
                                                                          waterways. Although plastic bags make up only a
   the State or a Union Territory shall be the authority                  small percentage of
   for enforcement of the provisions of PWM Rules,
                                                                          all litter, the impact of these bags is nevertheless
   Rules relating to waste management by waste
                                                                          significant. Plastic bags create visual pollution
   generator, use of plastic carry bags, plastic sheets
                                                                          problems and can have harmful effects on aquatic
   or like, covers made of plastic sheets and multi-
                                                                          and terrestrial animals. Plastic bags are particularly
   layered packaging.
                                                                          noticeable components of the litter stream due to their
Figure: Management of Plastic Waste
11 Source: https://saferenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/plastic-wastes-%E2%80%93-reduce-reuse-and-recycle-of-plastics-are-essential- to-
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make-environment-greener-and-safer/
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size and can take a long time to fully break down.       2. Minimize Buying Water
Many carry bags end up as unsightly litter in trees,     Each year, close to 20 billion plastic bottles are thrown
streets, parks and gardens which, besides being          in the trash. Making a habit of using reusable bottle
ugly, can kill birds, small mammals and other            in the bag, use of water from office, home and work
creatures.                                               areas where the quality of the water can be trusted
Bags that make it to the ocean may be eaten by
sea turtles and marine mammals, who mistake them         3. Minimize use of Plastics Cutlery
for jellyfish, with disastrous consequences. In          Making a habit of using metal utensils instead of
developed countries billion bags are thrown away         plastic cutlery would help saving a lot of plastics that is
every year, most of which are used only once before      thrown in thrash every year.
disposal.
The biggest problem with plastic bags is that they       4. Purchase item Secondhand
do not readily break down in the environment. It has     The newer items comes with lot of packaging
been found that, the average plastic carrier bag is      materials instead try to use secondhand materials until
used for five minutes, but takes 500 years to            it is very necessary
decompose.
                                                         5. Support a bag Tax or Ban
3.3.1 Reduce                                             Support legislations and by laws which put taxes on
Plastic, of course, is uniquely problematic because      ban of single use plastics
it’s non-biodegradable and therefore sticks around for
a lot longer than the other forms of waste. Few small
steps in day to day life would help to keep plastics
a
possible out of the waste stream. Some of these
steps may include:
1. Discourage the use of disposal plastics
Ninety percent of the plastic items in our daily lives
are used once and then abandoned: grocery bags,
plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, straws, coffee-cup
lids. Take note of how often we rely on these products
and replace them with reusable versions. It only takes
a few times of bringing our own bags to the store,
silverware to the office, or travel mug to office tea
areas before it becomes habit.
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Snapshot of Public-Private initiatives to REDUCE single use plastic bags and Styrofoam products
The table12 below is organized by continent and country, summarizing examples of retailers, Municipalities
and other public-private cooperation instituted to reduce the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam without
the implementation of a policy measure. The column “Features” overviews the initiative and the measures
implemented as well as the impact, as per the information available.
 Area         Country         Year      Action Taken     Type                  Features
 Asia         Indonesia       2017      Government       Memorandum            Type: Because of a four-year campaign organized by citizens
                                        commitment       of understanding      to get plastic bags banned in Bali, the governor signed a
                                                                               memorandum of understanding to phase out plastic bags
                                                                               by January 2018 (Prisco, 2017).
 Europe       Germany         2016      Public private   Ban or levy           Type: Voluntary ban or levy on plastic bags (retailers can
                                        agreement                              decide whether to phase out plastic bags or to apply a fee
                                                                               of €0.05 to €0.50 (about $0.06 to $0.60). The agreement
                                                                               was made by the Ministry, the German Retail Federation
                                                                               and participating companies to curb the use of plastic
                                                                               bags. Many more companies participate without having
                                                                               signed the agreement.). (German government, 2016,
                                                                               Surfrider, 2017)
              Switzerland     2016      Public private   Levy                  Type: Switzerland’s largest supermarket chains introduced a
                                        agreement                              plastic bag levy based on a voluntary agreement, which was
                                                                               approved by the
                                                                               parliament as an alternative to a total ban (Swiss
                                                                               supermarkets, 2016).
                                                                               Impact: Demand for plastic bags dropped by 80- 85%
                                                                               (Price tag, 2017).
              Luxemburg       2004      Public private   Levy                  Type: 85 brands (including all big distributors) participate
                                        agreement                              in the “Eco-sac” (“Öko-Tut”) initiative, a cooperate project
                                                                               between the Ministry of the Environment, the Luxembourgian
                                                                               Trade Confederation and the non-profit association Valorlux
                                                                               to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags by
                                                                               replacing them with the so-called “Öko-Tut” (a reusable bag).
                                                                               Impact: Plastic bag consumption dropped by 85% in nine
                                                                               years and the “Öko-Tut” has replaced most free plastic
                                                                               bags at supermarkets across
                                                                               the country (Luxembourger leads way, 2013; Bänsch-
                                                                               Baltruschat et al., 2017).
                                                                               has replaced most free plastic bags at supermarkets
                                                                               across the country (Luxembourger leads way, 2013; Bänsch-
                                                                               Baltruschat et al., 2017).
 North        Canada          2016      Private          Levy                  Type: A big supermarket chain announced that it will start
 America                                Initiative                             charging consumers CAD 0.05 (around $0.04) per single-
                                                                               use plastic bag and CAD 0.25 per reusable bag (The
                                                                               Canadian Press, 2016).
 Oceania      Australia       2017      Private          Ban or Levy           Type: Some major supermarkets announced that they will
                                        Initiative                             phase out lightweight plastic bags or
                                                                               provide bags but charge AUD 0.15 ($0.12) per
                                                                               bag (Pearlman, 2018).
12 Source: UN Environment: Single Use Plastics- A Roadmap for Sustainability
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Reducing and refusing plastic: Ban on usage
Altogether 18 States and Union Territories have taken initiative and imposed some kind of ban on plastic
manufacture, stock, sale, or use of plastic carry bags, namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
Successful Case Studies on Plastics Ban within India:
  CASE STUDY: OPERATION BLUE MOUNTAIN IN NILGIRIS, TAMIL NADU
 CASE   STUDY:
  Operation   BlueSIKKIM:
                    MountainFIRST     STATE
                               campaign    was TO   BAN
                                               led by     PLASTICS
                                                       Supriya         BOTTLES
                                                               Sahu, the           & DISPOSABLE
                                                                          district collector in 2001 toFOAM
                                                                                                        ban the
 PRODUCTS
  use of plastic in the district. The campaign was crucial to unclog the river sources and springs in the
 Sikkim, which is often applauded for being one of the cleanest states in India has now taken one more step
  popular hill station of Nilgiris. The experiment has been documented by erstwhile Planning
 to reduce its carbon footprint. In two recent notifications issued by the state’s home department, the Sikkim
  Commission and UNDP as
 government has decided to manage its waste in a more efficient and eco-friendly manner by banning the
  the best practice on governance from Indian States. In order to make people understand, the campaign used
 use of plastic water bottles in all Government meetings and programmes. Further, it has banned the use of
  pictures offoam
 disposable    choking  animals.
                    products       Theythe
                               across    also explained
                                           entire state. how plastic clogs drains and also seeps into the lake and
  other water bodies.
 A huge quantity of municipal waste is created in the form of disposable products which are environmentally
 hazardous, and claim a lot of space in landfills. It was found that a lot of disposable foam containers were
 being used not just in bazaar areas at food stalls, but also in rural pockets. Owing to this, there is now a state-
 wide ban on the use and sale of cups, plates, spoons, containers, and other foam items.
 It is also stated that rampant use of packaged drinking water in departmental meetings and programmes has
 led to the piling up of disposable plastic bottles that add an unnecessary burden on dump yards. Therefore, in
 order to reduce creation of garbage in the form of used drinking
 water plastic bottles it is notified that the packaged drinking
 water bottles may not be used during any government meetings
 or functions. The alternative proposed is to switch to filtered
 water, water from large reusable dispensers or reusable water
 bottles at such government functions and meetings.
 The government has been initiating various measures to manage
 the waste and maintain a clean environment. Sikkim was also
 the first state in the country to ban the use of plastic bags in
 1998.
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CASE STUDY: MAHARASHTRA- BAN ON PLASTICS
Maharashtra will be the 18th state in India to ban single-use
disposable plastic. Maharashtra has banned disposable
products manufactured from plastic and thermocol
(polystyrene). Maharashtra plastic ban carries penalties
starting at Rs. 5,000 and goes up to Rs 25,000 and 3
months of imprisonment. The government has played a major
role by bringing in the law, mechanism of imposing it, the fines
and the paraphernalia that goes with the implementation.
Now, flower vendors are sending flowers to people’s home in
cloth bags. Vegetables are being sold in cloth bags. Women
in
self-help groups are looking at making jute or cotton bags as
a major source of income. Medicines are coming in small
paper pouches. Tea and coffee stalls, college canteens and
restaurants are doing away with plastics. Also, the corporates like Starbucks, Coca Cola and
Bisleri have risen to the occasion and taken up responsibility of collecting waste plastics from
Mumbai and
recycle it or up-recycle it to different use. People participation can be seen as NGOs, schools,
celebrities, industrialists have begun campaigns to beat plastic pollution.
CASE STUDY: HIMACHAL PRADESH- SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Government of Himachal Pradesh enacted the Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control)
Act, 1995, to deal with the menace of plastic and other non-biodegradable waste. This Act embodied a move
towards scientific disposal of non-biodegradable waste and also imposed a ban on coloured plastic carry
bags produced from recycled plastic. The Government of Himachal Pradesh introduced the Sustainable
Plastic Waste Management Plan in 2009. The Plan focusses on controlling the use of plastic and developing a
systematic disposal mechanism. In order to achieve the objectives of its Clean Himachal and Healthy Himachal
drive, the Government also prohibited the use of plastic cups and plates in 2011; conducted Information,
Education and
Communication (IEC) activities to generate awareness about the harmful impact of plastic waste, and encouraged
citizens to stop using plastic products
Objectives:
The initiative aims to establish environment-friendly plastic waste disposal solutions. In the process it seeks to
ban the use of plastic bags and plastic products, and reduce plastic littering across the state. Further, in order
to ensure sustainability and continued community participation, the initiative seeks to spread environmental
awareness among the local population.
Stakeholders:
The Sustainable Plastic Waste Management Plan has been implemented by the Department of Environment,
Science and Technology (DEST), Government of Himachal Pradesh.
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Implementation Strategy:
The Sustainable Plastic Waste Management Plan has been implemented in three stages. Stage I aimed at
creating an enabling framework, Stage II focused on creating awareness through campaigns, and Stage III on
consolidation and sustainability.
Stage 1: Creating an enabling Framework:
The DEST began by establishing an environmentally sound solution for plastic littering and disposal. Its aim was
to adopt replicable and sustainable solutions for the state. After much deliberation, the DEST took the decision of
processing household waste in cement kilns and using plastic waste in road construction. As the Public Works
Department (PWD) plays a major role in the construction of roads, the first step was to convince it to adopt the
solution.
The DEST and PWD jointly conducted a pilot project in Shimla to test the technology. While DEST identified a
supplier of plastic waste shredders, PWD procured and used the output in the construction of a road in
Shimla The pilot demonstrated that the technology was cost effective and replicable, and provided a solution to
utilize plastic waste in an innovative and prudent manner. Thereafter, the DEST developed a comprehensive plan
for the identification of roads, modalities for collection and storage of plastic waste at collection centers, and
shredding for use in tarring. The PWD was trained on a technology that involved shredding and mixing of various
kinds
of plastic food packets, aluminium foil etc., with bitumen for tarring roads. Typically, each kilometer of road
consumes a tonne of plastic, used directly without cleaning. This cost effective technology allows savings of
approximately Rs. 35,000–40,000 per kilometer through reduced bitumen use.
Stage 2: Creating an enabling Framework:
In this stage of the project, the government launched the Polythene Hatao – Paryavaran Bachao campaign. The
first phase of the campaign focused on voluntary participation in schemes and actions aimed at cleaning the state
and encouraged citizens to understand the problem of plastic waste and the need to keep the state clean.
This campaign created awareness and encouraged the participation of Mahila Mandals, Urban Local Bodies
(ULBs), NGOs, associations of Panchayati Raj Institutions etc. Plastic waste was collected from hill slopes, forest
areas, rivers, drains etc., and IEC activities, such as video clippings and documentary films, were used to sensitize
the public. In this phase, 142 tonnes of polythene was collected from 10 districts for use in road construction.
Stage 3: Ensuring Consolidation and Sustainability:
Stage III of the campaign addressed the need for developing a sustainable mechanism for collection and disposal
of plastic waste, and focused on allocation of responsibilities and tasks to various departments. Role allocation
and monitoring, constitution of teams to curb offences related to littering and use of plastic bags, involvement of
eco-clubs to educate the general public and imposition of challans (monetary fines/penalties) were the highlights
of this stage.
An environment audit scheme was started in Stage III to monitor the environmental performance of the project as
well as to facilitate training and capacity building among school students, teachers and citizens.
                                                                                    Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
Impact:
1. Cleaner environment and reuse of waste plastic for roads:
The ban on plastics and the systematic waste recycling model have not only ensured cleaner surroundings
and contributed to environmental conservation but also supported infrastructure development through road
construction. The institutional mechanism for collection, transportation and utilization of plastic waste has
become functional and has been adopted across the state.
2. Public Awareness and Participation:
The plan has made a significant impact in building awareness and securing people’s cooperation. It is
encouraging people to collect plastic waste to minimize its negative environmental impact, and assume
responsibility for the maintenance of their local environment.
14 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Successful Case Studies13 on Plastics Ban across the continents
CASE STUDY: CHINA: NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL POLICIES
Regulations at national and local level
Context:
Prior to 2008 about 3 billion plastic bags were used in China every day, creating more than 3 million tonnes of
garbage each year. Due such large volume of plastic waste, plastic litter in China is now being called as “white
pollution”.
The National ban and levy
To curb the production and consumption of plastic bags, in 2008 the Government of China introduced a ban
on bags thinner than 25 microns and a levy on thicker ones, promoting the use of durable cloth bags and
shopping baskets. Exemptions were allowed for bags used in the handling of fresh food such as raw
meat and noodles for hygiene reasons.
Impact:
One year after the introduction of the legislation, the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets fell on
average by 70%, avoiding the use of 40 billion bags. Within seven years, the number of plastic bags used by
supermarkets and shopping malls shrank by two-thirds, with 1.4 million tonnes of bags avoided. However,
plastic bags do remain common, especially in rural areas and farmers’ markets, due to weak enforcement.
China has recently (January 2018) introduced a ban on the import of plastic scraps
CASE STUDY: COSTA RICA: TOTAL SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAN
First to pledge phasing out all single-use plastic bags
Context:
Costa Rica has emerged as an environmental leader in many ways. It was successful in doubling its forest
cover from 26% in 1984 to more than 52% in 2017 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2021. Costa Rica
now aims to become the first country in the world to ban all single-use plastics by 2021.
The ban
On 5 June 2017, World Environment Day, the government announced a National Strategy to phase out all
forms of single-use plastics by 2021 and replace them with alternatives that biodegrade within six months. The
ban aims at eliminating not only plastic bags and bottles, but also other items such as plastic cutlery, straws,
Styrofoam containers and coffee stirrers. The Strategy promotes the substitution of single-use plastic through
five actions:
i. Municipal incentives,
ii. Policies and institutional guidelines for suppliers,
iii. Replacement of single-use plastic products,
iv. Research and development, and
v. Investment in strategic initiatives.
In implementing this project, the government is supported by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), local governments, civil society and private sector groups.
13 Source: UN Environment: Single Use Plastics- A Roadmap for Sustainability
                                                                                 Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
CASE STUDY: KENYA: PUNITIVE TOTAL BAN
Severe plastic bag ban
Context:
Prior to 2017, about 100 million plastic bags were used in Kenya every year in supermarkets alone, impacting
the environment, human health and wildlife especially in areas where waste management systems are
inadequate. In Western Kenya, veterinarians claimed that in their lifetime cows ingest a considerable amount of
plastic bags, among other plastics
The ban
In February 2017, the Government of Kenya announced a ban on the production, sale, importation and
use of plastic carry bags, which came into full effect after six months (in August 2017). Under the new law,
representing the third attempt in the past decade, offenders can face fines of up to $38,000 or four-year jail
terms, making Kenya’s plastic bag ban the most severe in the world. Before the law entered into force, UN
Environment supported the organization of a stakeholder dialogue where national and local-level officials could
engage with private sector representatives to exchange views on how best to implement the regulation
Large supermarket chains are selling reusable cloth bags, as the government encourages retailers to offer
consumers alternatives to plastic bags. Kenyans are slowly adjusting to life without plastic bags but there is
not yet a clear account of the impact of the ban. The government is now starting an analysis to measure the
overall act of the ban. On one hand local ‘green’ businesses see this as an opportunity for new innovative
solutions to succeed and prosper, on the other hand, during this transition period - where there is lack of
affordable eco-friendly alternatives – hygiene and food loss concerns are being raised by small-scale vendors
(selling for instance pre-cooked foods, fruits and vegetables in markets).
CASE STUDY: RWANDA: TOTAL BAN
Total plastic bag ban: Cleaner cities and rural
areas Context:
In 2004, the Rwandan Ministry of Environment, concerned by the improper disposal of plastic bags, as they
were often burned or clogged drainage systems, commissioned a baseline study which revealed that plastic
bag litter was threatening agricultural production, contaminating water sources and creating visual pollution.
Introduction of the ban
In 2008 the Rwandan government banned the manufacturing, use, sale and importation of all plastic bags.
Paper bags replaced plastic ones, and citizens also started using reusable bags made of cotton. Along
with the new ban, tax incentives were provided to companies willing to invest in plastic recycling equipment
or in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly bags.
Critics claim that stakeholders were insufficiently consulted during the policy design and that the poorest
fractions of the population were not considered. Despite the good intentions, after the entry into force of the
ban, investments in recycling technologies were lacking, as were good and cheap alternatives. As a result,
people started smuggling plastic bags from neighboring countries and a lucrative black market emerged.
What worked well
With time, enforcement of the law became stricter, and if caught, offenders would face high fines and even jail.
In the long run, citizens became used to the new regulation and, Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, was nominated
by UN Habitat in 2008 as the cleanest city in Africa.
16 Swachh Bharat Mission -
CASE STUDY: ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
In January 2016, Antigua and Barbuda prohibited the importing, manufacturing and trading of plastic shopping
bags. In July of the same year, the distribution of such bags at points of sale was banned, leaving enough time
for retailers to finish their stocks. Since plastic bags sold in large retailers accounted for 90% of the plastic
litter in the environment, the ban was first implemented in major supermarkets, and later extended to smaller
shops.
What worked well
Key elements of policy’s success include four rounds of stakeholder consultations to ensure engagement and
acceptance of the policy. Stakeholders engaged include major retailers, the National Solid Waste Management
Authority, the Ministry of Trade and the Department of Environment. After approval by the Cabinet, it was
decided that the ban would be incorporated in the existing legislation, as this was more expedient than
instituting a new law. An awareness-raising campaign titled “I’m making a difference one bag at a time”
included frequent television short clips by the Minister of Health and the Environment providing information
on the progress of the ban and feedback from stakeholders. A jingle was produced to promote the use of
durable bags for a cleaner and healthier environment. Moreover, shoppers were provided with reusable bags
outside supermarkets, and seamstresses and tailors were taught how to manufacture such bags so as to
meet increasing demand. Major supermarkets were also required to offer paper bags from recycled material,
in addition to reusable ones. To encourage the manufacturing and use of alternatives to plastic bags, the
legislation includes a list of materials that will remain tax free, such as sugar cane, bamboo, paper, and potato
starch.
Impact
In the first year, the ban contributed to a 15.1% decrease in the amount of plastic discarded in landfills in
Antigua and Barbuda, and paved the way for additional policies targeting the reduction of plastics. For
instance, the importation of plastic food service containers and cups was prohibited in July 2017. As of
January 2018, single-use plastic utensils were banned, as well as food trays and egg cartons. At a later stage,
Styrofoam coolers are also expected to be outlawed.
                                                                               Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
3.3.2 Reuse
                                                            • Most waste plastics films specially thin plastics
Reuse is a step up from recycling. It diverts plastic and
                                                               films have limited market value, therefore effort
takes pressure off the recycling services. In fact, reuse
                                                               is not spent in collecting them
is the middle-man between reduce and recycle, and
                                                            • Identification of reuse and recycling opportunities
some would be surprised at how many opportunities
                                                            • Markets for Plastics; Lack of Infrastructure
for reuse there really are.
                                                            • Low value of recovered Plastics
                                                            • Subsidies for recycling program
One can reuse plastic-produce bags for
sandwiches, plastic grocery bags for small trash
                                                            A number of factors can complicate the practice
bags, and re-use plastic silverware. Most people
                                                            of plastics recycling, such as the collection of
skip this step and go directly to recycling, but
                                                            the
reusing plastics can reduce the demand for new
                                                            plastics waste, separation of different types of plastics,
plastics to be created.
                                                            cleaning of the waste and possible pollution of the
For instance, since refillable plastic containers can be
                                                            plastics. A further complicating factor is the low-
reused for many times, container reuse can lead to
                                                            value nature of most of the products that can be
a substantial reduction in the demand for disposable
                                                            manufactured from recycled plastics. Reusing plastic
plastic and reduced use of materials and energy, with
                                                            is preferable to recycling as it uses less energy and
the consequent reduced environmental impacts.
                                                            fewer resources, however recycling plastic takes less
                                                            energy than making plastic from raw materials.
3.3.3 Recycle
                                                            It has been observed, to reduce bad effects of waste
Recycling and re-utilization of waste plastics have
                                                            plastics, it is better to recycle and re-utilize waste
several advantages. It leads to a reduction of the use
                                                            plastics in environment-friendly manners. In addition
of virgin materials and of the use of energy, thus also a
                                                            to reducing the amount of plastics waste requiring
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
                                                            disposal, recycling and reuse of plastic can have
Benefits of Recycling:
                                                            several other advantages, such as:
• Reduces Environmental Pollution
                                                            • Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels – Plastic
• Energy savings : 40 - 100 MJ/kg (depends on
                                                               production uses 8% of the world’s oil production,
   the polymer)
                                                               4% as feedstock and 4% during manufacture
• Economic Benefits
                                                            • Reduced consumption of energy
• Reduces demand for virgin polymer
                                                            • Reduced amounts of solid waste going to landfill
• Preferred to Land Filling
                                                            • Reduced emissions of carbon-dioxide (CO2),
• Generates Employment
                                                               nitrogen-oxides (NOx) and Sulphur-dioxide (SO2).
• Reduces depletion of Fossil fuel reserves
                                                            Segregation of waste at source is also a very
Difficulties in Recycling:
                                                            important step in managing plastic waste generated.
• Hard to separate from non-plastics (no ‘magnet’
                                                            There are several cities which are excelling in this. In
   equivalent)
                                                            addition to segregation of waste at source, some cities
• Differing composition of plastic resins means they
                                                            have set up segregation centers in the entire city to
   are largely incompatible
                                                            facilitate secondary segregation of plastic waste into
• Degradation of polymer chains on recycling
                                                            25- 27 categories and assist in recycling of plastic.
• Recycled polymer is of lower quality than virgin
                                                            A number of recycling techniques of the plastics
   polymer
                                                            have been collected which can be adopted by the
 18 Swachh Bharat Mission -
municipality in dealing the issue of plastic waste. It       2. Air Tabling: A density concentration technique
includes technology like                                         in which particles of mixed sizes, shapes, and
1.       Mechanical Recycling                                    densities are separated from each other due to
2.       Feedstock Recycling                                     the differential settling in an upward airflow
3.       Plastic to Road Construction                            with
4.       Plastic to Toilet / Pavement Blocks                     controllable velocity and under the influence of a
5.       Recycling of Multi-layered plastic                      vibrating action.
3.3.3.1 Mechanical Recycling                                 3. Ballistic Separator: It is designed to separate solid
Techniques for Sorting and Separation of                         waste at the inlet, depending on size, density &
Plastic Waste:                                                   shape
1. Air Classifier (also known as a Zig Zag Separator):
     A technique used for Separating of light films or       4. Dry and Wet Gravity Separation (or Sink Float
     contaminating paper/foil, or for separating fine            Tank): In this technique, different types of
     dust from reclaimed material such as plastic flake          plastics are separated based on their density. The
     or other granular materials. It is usually used after       heavier plastic fractions sink to the bottom of
     Granulation or Dry Cleaning Operations and is               the tank whilst the lighter fractions float to the
     very effective.                                             surface. It is used in the recycling of plastic
                                                                 bottles and their
                                                                 caps. Mostly the lids and caps of these bottles are
                                                                                     Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
    Figure: Mechanical Recycling
20 Swachh Bharat Mission -
    made from colored HDPE plastic and the                  sorting to positively identify different resins. It is
    bottles from PET plastic. Within the Sink-Float         usually used for whole bottles & jugs and requires a
    Tank the HDPE floats, whilst PET sinks.                 minimum particle size of 50mm
5. Froth Flotation: It is an intensive rinsing process      Extrusion & Palletisation
     with the addition of either fluid or steam and         Plastics extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing
    it has the ability to extract large volumes of fluid    process in which raw plastic is melted and formed
    making it an effective choice for recycling. Friction   into a continuous profile. Extrusion produces items
    Separation dissolves and separates impurities           such as pipe/tubing, rods, fencing window frames,
    sticking to the product, utilizing a high level         plastic films and sheeting, thermoplastic coatings and
    of rotation and friction. Often used to clean           wire insulation. This process starts by feeding plastic
    mixed plastics and for highly contaminated films.       material (pellets, granules, flakes or powders) from a
    This technique is an ideal choice for soiled            hopper into the barrel of the extruder. The material is
    plastics to be treated in the recycling process.        gradually melted by the mechanical energy generated
                                                            by turning screws and by heaters arranged along the
6. Electrostatic Separation (or Triboelectric               barrel. The molten polymer is then forced into a die,
    Separation): In this techniques, electrostatically      which shapes the polymer into a shape that hardens
    charged particles are passed through a tribo-           during cooling.
    cyclone, and negatively charged particles gravitate
    towards the positively charged plate and vice-
    versa, thereby classifying 3 or more resins at
    once.
Apart from the techniques mentioned above, there are
sensor based separation technologies also available
for plastic waste:
1. Plastic Color Sorting:
In this technique, ultra-violet light is used in
combination with excellent digital camera technology
                                                            Figure: Extrusion and Palletisation method of plastic waste recycling
to identify materials as small as 0.04mm.This range
of plastics colour sorting machines cover material
throughputs of 300-1800 kgs/hr. The machine                 3.3.3.2         Feedstock Recycling
throughputs are dependent upon material type and            a) Depolymerisation
quantity of contamination. The sorting accuracy is          The process De-polymerization is degradation of
typically up to 99.99%.                                     bonds to break down into monomers. This process
                                                            is utilized for the degradation of plastic to lower
2. Near Infrared (NIR)                                      hydrocarbons. Chemical Depolymerisation has
When materials are illuminated they mostly reflect light    successfully been employed to recover monomers
in the near infrared wavelength spectrum. The NIR           from PET, polyamides such as nylons and
sensor can distinguish between different materials          polyurethanes. It has the ability to return a recovered
based on the way they reflect light. This uses optical      resin to virgin resin-like quality, and the potential to
                                                                                       Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
recover a valuable feedstock from products that                        converted into either of the products: Liquid RDF,
are economically challenging to recycle. The De-                       gases and solids. The solids can be reused as fuel
polymerization is carried out in a specially designed                  in cement industries while the gas is reused in the
Reactor, in absence of oxygen and in the                               system as a fuel. The unused hot Air from the reactor
presence                                                               is released through chimney.
of certain catalytic additives. The maximum reaction
temperature is 350°C. The entire feed material is
 FEEDSTOCKS AND OUTPUT WITH THERMAL DEPOLYMERIZATION
 (Note: Paper/cellulose contains at least 1% minerals, which was probably grouped under carbon solids.)
 Average Thermal Depolymerisation (TDP) Feedstock Outputs
 Feedstock                                     Oils                   Gases                   Solids (mostly   Water (Steam)
                                                                                              carbon based)
 Plastic bottles                               70%                    16%                     6%               8%
 Medical waste                                 65%                    10%                     5%               20%
 Tires                                         44%                    10%                     42%              4%
 Sewage sludge                                 26%                    9%                      8%               57%
 Paper (cellulose)                             8%                     48%                     24%              20%
Process flow diagram for production of Liquid RDF from waste plastic
22 Swachh Bharat Mission -
b) Plastic to Fuel (Pyrolytic                             • Acid removal process: Acids that form in the
Conversion Technologies)                                    breakdown are required to be removed as they
A new generation of conversion technology,                  can be corrosive to the plastic to fuel systems as
specifically designed to manage non-recyclable              well as the engines that will consume the fuel.
plastics, has been developed, and commercial              • Separation / final blending / refining: As per the
scale facilities that use pyrolysis technology to           end-use.
convert plastics into oil and fuel are being
established                                               Fuel yield estimates will be different and yields will vary
in Europe and Asia. Pyrolysis is the thermal              from batch to batch depending on the quality of the
decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures       feedstock being used. The more contamination and
in an inert atmosphere.                                   non-resin materials present, the less the fuel yield will
                                                          be. Higher presence of PS, PP and LLDPE, will result
The benefits presented by plastic to fuel (PTF)           in higher yield.
technologies are two-fold:
(1) Transforming non-recyclable plastics into a
                                                           Output       Percentage of Overall Output
    valuable commodity
                                                           Char         Ranges on average from 2% -13%
(2) Creating a reliable source of alternative energy                    (one system claims negligible amounts of char
    from an abundant, no/low cost feedstock.                            when the system is run on a continuous feed vs
                                                                        a batch feed)
Steps in pyrolysis to convert scrap plastic to
                                                           Natural      Ranges average from 8% to 10%
fuel sources:
                                                           gas
• Segregation and Pre-treatment: Plastic waste
                                                           Fuel/Oil     Ranges average from 80% - 90%
  (only HD, LD, PP and multilayer packaging
  except PVC) is segregated and pretreated. The            One gallon (3.78 liters) of oil = 138,095 BTUs (40 kWh)
                                                           One pound (0.45 Kg) of mixed plastic = 15,500 BTUs
  pretreatment could be as minor as size reduction or
                                                           (when incinerated) (4.5 kWh)
  as involved as cleaning and moisture removal.
• Conversion: Pyrolytic processes are used to
  convert the plastic to gas. It is undertaken in close   c) Plasma Pyrolysis Technology (PPT):
  reactor vessel where waste plastics is heated at        Plasma Pyrolysis is a state of the art technology,
  high temperatures to convert it into vapour state.      which integrates the thermo-chemical properties
  The catalyst is added whereby the pyrolysis requires    of plasma with the pyrolysis process. The intense
  less energy and results in the formation of more        and versatile heat generation capabilities of Plasma
  branched hydrocarbons. The gas generated in             Pyrolysis technology enable it to dispose of all types
  the process is reused as fuel in the process            of plastic waste including polymeric, biomedical
  thus making the process economically viable             and hazardous waste in a safe and reliable manner.
  and also help in minimizing air pollution.              Pyrolysis is the thermal disintegration of carbonaceous
• Distillation: The gas is collected in condensation      material in oxygen-starved atmosphere. In Plasma
  chamber and is converted in the form of liquid fuel.    Pyrolysis, firstly the plastics waste is fed into the
  The oil has properties similar to LDO and can be        primary chamber at 8500°C through a feeder. The
  safely used as an alternative to LDO in industries      waste material dissociates into carbon monoxide,
  thus conserving the already depleting natural           hydrogen, methane, higher hydrocarbons etc. Induced
  resources.                                              draft fan drains the pyrolysis gases as well as
                                                          plastics
                                                                                  Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
    Figure: Plastic to Fuel
                                                         The process conditions are maintained such that it
  CASE STUDY: GOA- PLASTIC TO                            eliminates the possibility of formation of toxic dioxins
  LIQUID RDF                                             and furans molecules (in case of chlorinated waste).
  M K Aromatics has planned to set-up a plant in
                                                         The conversion of organic waste into non-toxic gases
  Goa which would use environmental friendly
                                                         (CO2, H2O) is more than 99%. The extreme conditions
  system for processing plastic waste into
                                                         of plasma kill stable bacteria such as bacillus stereo-
  hydrocarbons/ crude oil. The plant would use all
                                                         thermophilus and bacillus subtilis immediately.
  types of plastics for production of oil in their
  process. The expected output ratio is going to vary
                                                         3.3.3.3 Plastic to Road Construction
  with the type of plastics being used. For High
                                                         The implementation of plastics in roads opens a new
  quality plastics such as
                                                         option for recycling post- consumer plastics. Plastic
  Milk packets etc. the yield is expected to be 80%
                                                         roads are made entirely of plastic or of composites of
  however, yield for other low quality plastics output
                                                         plastic with other materials.
waste into the secondary chamber where these
                                                         The types of plastic that can be used for construction
gases are combusted in the presence of excess air.
                                                         of roads are Polystyrene (PS) (Hard packaging,
The inflammable gases are ignited with high voltage
                                                         cartons, plates, vending cups etc.); Polypropylene
spark.
                                                         (PP) (ketchup bottles, yogurt cups etc.); Polyethylene
The secondary chamber temperature is maintained
                                                         (PE) (both high and low density) (plastic bags, water
at 10500 °C. The hydrocarbon, CO and hydrogen
                                                         bottle, shampoo bottle etc.). Please note that Poly
are combusted into safe carbon dioxide and water.
24 Swachh Bharat Mission -
                                                                    of this grade confirm to that of S 65 grade of IS –
Vinyl Chloride (PVC) sheets or Flux sheets should not
                                                                    73- 1992. It is presently used mainly in construction
be used.
                                                                    of National Highways & State Highways.
a) Methodology
                                                                    Bitumen 30/40: This is the hardest of all the grades
The waste plastic has to be collected, segregated,
                                                                    and can withstand very heavy traffic loads. The
cleaned and then shredded as shown in Figure
                                                                    characteristics of this grade confirm to that of S
below. The shredded waste plastic shall pass
                                                                    35 grade of IS-73-1992. Bitumen 30/40 is used in
through 4.75 mm sieve and be retained on 1 mm.
                                                                    specialized applications like airport runways and also
This also indicates indirectly that the size of the
                                                                    in very heavy traffic volume roads in coastal cities of
shredded plastic should normally be 2-3 mm for better
                                                                    the country.
spread and coating the aggregate.
                                                                    The Bitumen to Plastic ratio shall be 10:1.
• Types of Bitumen
                                                                    b) Plastics as a ‘binder’
The three classifications of bitumen used in the
                                                                    Waste plastic is shredded into required size and
construction of roads are mentioned below:
                                                                    mixed with hot stone (150 to 170 °C) with uniform
Bitumen 80/100: The characteristics of this grade
                                                                    mixing.
confirm to that of S 90grade of IS-73-1992. This is the
                                                                    When heated to around 150 to 170 °C, plastic melts
softest of all grades available in India. This is suitable
                                                                    and spreads over the stone aggregate in its molten
for low volume roads and is still widely used in the
                                                                    state, giving a thin coating at the surface and acting as
country.
                                                                    a binder. The points to note here are:
Bitumen 60/70: This grade is harder than 80/100 and
                                                                    • Plastics cannot be melted separately to use for
can withstand higher traffic loads. The characteristics
                                                                      coating. On contact with the surface of the hot stone
                                        Figure: Steps to shred plastic waste for recycling purpose
                                                                                              Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
 the plastic gel softens and coats over the aggregate.   Waste polymers namely PE, PP and PS are
 It is important to note that the size of the shredded   hydrocarbons with long chains. The bitumen is a
 plastic should be less than the surface area of the     complex mixture of asphaltenes and maltenes which
 aggregate to get uniform coating, otherwise the         are also long chain hydro carbon. When bitumen
 binding will not be effective.                          is mixed with plastic coated aggregate a portion of
                                                         bitumen diffuses through the plastic layer and binds
• The waste plastic when heated to temperature more      with aggregate. The plastic layer has already bonded
 than 250 °C may decompose producing gaseous             strongly with aggregate. During this process three
 products which results in air pollution, hence the      dimensional internal cross linked network structure
 temperature during heating shall be maintained          results between polymer molecules and bitumen
 between 150 to 170 °C. It is to be ensured that         constitutes.
 plastic is boiling and not burning.
                                                         Therefore the bond becomes stronger and the removal
• Interaction between Plastic Aggregate and              of bonded bitumen becomes difficult. Below figure
Bitumen                                                  illustrates the plastic aggregate bitumen interaction for
When the aggregate temperature is around 150 to 170
                                                         the plastic waste coated aggregate bitumen mix.
°C the coated plastic is in a molten state and over
this, hot bitumen at 160 °C is added. The added          • Types of Process
bitumen spreads over the aggregate. At this              The two processes for manufacturing bituminous
temperature                                              mixes using waste plastic are dry and wet
both the coated plastic and bitumen are in the liquid    process. In the dry process, the processed waste
state, capable of easy diffusion at the interphase.      plastic is added after shredding into the hot
This process is further helped by the increase in the    aggregates and is recommended for isolated
contact area (increased surface area).                   works; while in the wet process, processed waste
                                                         plastic in the form of powder is added in the hot
                                                         bitumen.
              Figure: Bitumen and Plastic Aggregate
26 Swachh Bharat Mission -
i. Mini Hot Mix Plant
                                                           the bitumen is to be heated to a maximum of 160
The stone aggregate mix (as per specification) is          °C (HRS Specification) in a separate chamber and
transferred to the mix cylinder where it is heated to      kept ready (The temperature should be monitored to
165 °C (as per the IRC specification) and then it is       have good binding and to prevent weak bonding).
transferred to the mixing puddler.
                                                           At the mixing puddler, the hot bitumen is added over
                                                           the plastic coated aggregate and the resulted mix is
                                                           used for road construction as shown in figure. The
                                                           road laying temperature is between 110°C to 120°C.
                                                           The roller used is a one with 8-ton capacity.
                                                           ii. Central Mixing Plant (CMP)
 Figure: Mini Hot Mix Plant
                                                           The Central Mixing Plant technique includes three
                                                           material types:
The temperature can be monitored using IR
                                                           Materials I– The hoppers are filled with necessary
thermometer, while transferring the hot aggregate into
                                                           ggregates as per the mix formula
the puddler, calculated quantity of shredded plastics is
sprayed over the hot aggregate within 30 seconds.
                                                           Materials II– Plastic films (thickness not more than
                                                           60microns) to be cut to a size less than 4 X 4 mm.
                                                           It should not exceed this size.
                                                           Materials III– Bitumen of type 60/70 or 80/100 to be
                                                           used
                                                           In Central Mixing, the stone is heated and at the same
                                                           time the plastics films get melted over the heated
Figure: Mixing of Plastic with Hot Aggregate
                                                           stone and gets coated. Slowly the plastics coated
                                                           aggregate moves forward where this polymer coated
The sprayed plastic films melts and gets coated
                                                           aggregate mix is mixed with bitumen. Overall the
over the aggregate thus forming an oily coating.
                                                           process consists the following steps:
Similarly,
Figure: Mixing of Bitumen with plastic coated aggregate
                                                                                Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
1. The aggregate materials are transferred to the       3. The polymer coated aggregate bitumen mix is then
  cylinder through the conveyer belt.                     transferred to the dipper.
2. The shredded plastic is sprayed over the aggregate   Salient features/ Advantages of CMP Process
  while it is moving in the conveyer belt.              1. Easy process without any new machinery or
                                                          industry involvement
• The spraying is done by manual labors standing
 up on both side of the conveyer belt of the central    2. Use of lesser percentage of bitumen and thus
 mixing plant. While one person adds the shredded         savings on bitumen
 plastics on the conveyer belt, in the meantime
 another person keeps another bucket full of plastics   3. No evolution of any toxic gases like dioxin
 ready so that the addition of plastics is continuous
 and done quantitatively.                               4. Mixing of the plastics over the aggregate is uniform
                                                          and better distribution takes place in Central Mixing
• The amount of plastic to be added is calculated         Plant
 as follows:
- In the CMP, at the control room the addition of       5. The coating is better when the mixing of bitumen is
 bitumen is monitored.                                    being carried out:
- The amount of bitumen sprayed per minute inside       a. Inside the Cylinder
 the cylinder is to be checked. For example, If the     b. During loading in the dipper.
 bitumen quantity per minute is 10Kg, the plastic       c. During transferring the mix in the paver
 need to be added is 1Kg. (i.e. a bucket can be         d. During the spreading of the mix by the paver
 used which can hold 1 Kg at a time).
- Hence, the shredded plastics taken in the bucket
 are sprayed with a speed of 1Kg/min.
• As the plastic is added over the aggregate, the mix
 (aggregate and plastics) moves into the cylinder.
28 Swachh Bharat Mission -
• Flowchart of Plastic Bitumen Road process
                                              Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
• Specification for different types of Plastic Bitumen Road
The key specification for the different types of plastic bitumen road (optimum quantity of polymer 10% by weight
of bitumen) is shown in the table below.
 Table: Specification for the different types of plastic Bitumen road
 Type of Pavement                                    Aggregates                             Bitumen    Polymer   IRC
 SDBC 40mm thick-10m2                                13.2mm-0.10m3                          34.20kgs             508
                                                     11.8mm-0.16m3                                     3.8kgs
                                                     6.7mm -0.16m3
                                                     2.8mm -0.18m3
 SDBC 25mm thick -10m2                               11.2mm -0.10m3                         21.6kgs    2.4kgs    508
                                                     6.7mm -0.16m3
                                                     2.8mm&below-0.11m3
 Bituminous Concrete 40mm thick-10m2                 26.5-9.5mm -0.40m3                     38.7kgs    4.3kgs    509
                                                     9.5-2.36mm -0.22m3
                                                     18kgs-cement/hydrates lime/rock dust
 Bituminous Concrete 25mm thick-10m2                 19-9.5mm -0.25m3                       24.3kgs    2.7kgs    509
                                                     9.5-2.36mm-0.14m3
 Open grade premix carpet -10m2                      (22.4-11.2mm)13.2mm-0.18m3             13.14kgs   1.46kgs   511
                                                      (13.2-5.6mm)11.2mm-0.09m3
 Premix carpet with seal coat Type A-10m2            13.2mm -0.18m3                         13.14kgs   1.46kgs   511
                                                     11.2mm -0.09m3
                                                     6.7mm -0.09m3
 Premix carpet Type B-10m2                           13.2mm -0.18m3                         13.14kgs   1.46kgs   511
                                                     11.2mm -0.09m
 Seal Coat Type B                                    Clean good sand-0.06m3                 6.6kgs     0.25kgs   511
 Surface dressing Single coat/First coat-10m2        13.2mm -0.15m3                         16.2kgs    1.8KGS    ---
 Bituminous Macadam 75mm thick -10m2                 (45-22.4mm -0.63m3                     52.2kgs    5.8kgs    504
                                                     (22.4-11.2mm) -0.16m3
                                                     (11.2-2.8mm) - 0.25m3
                                                      (26.5-11.2mm)-0.42m3                  34.2kgs    3.8kgs    504
                                         2
 Bituminous Macadam 50mm thick -10m                  (11.2-2.8mm) -0.10m3
                                                     2.8mm         -0.18m3
 Dense Bituminous Macadam 75mm thick -10m2           (37.5-13.2mm) -0.35m3                  62.1kgs    6.9kgs    507
                                                     13.2-2.36mm)     -0.45m3
                                                     2.36mm& below -0.20m3
                                                     36kgs –rock dust
 Dense Bituminous Macadam 50mm thick -10m2           (26.5-13.2mm) -0.35m3                  41.4kgs    4.6kgs    507
                                                      (13.2-2.36mm) -0.21m3
                                                     2.36mm& below -
                                                     0.14m3 24kgs
                                                     cement/rock dust
30 Swachh Bharat Mission -
c) Performance Evaluation of Polymer Coated                    The results obtained for these roads mentioned in the
Bitumen Roads                                                  table below helped to conclude that these roads are
The Central Pollution Control Board has prepared a             performing very well in spite of their age. Under the
performance evaluation report (Programme Objective             similar conditions most of the bitumen roads are not
Series: PROBES/122/2008-2009) titled Performance               performing well at all. These roads have not developed
Evaluation of Polymer Coated Bitumen Built Roads               even small cracking and a pothole. The roads were
to evaluate the performance of certain roads                   distributed over the different localities of Tamil Nadu
                                                               exposed to various environmental conditions like
Consolidated test results                                      temperature, rainfall, etc., yet roads are performing
Monitoring of test roads were carried out using                well.
structural evaluation, functional evaluation and
conditional evaluation studies.
 Table: Consolidated Test Results
                         Year laid   Unevenness   Skid         Sand Texture   Field Density   Rebound Deflection
                                     (mm          number                                      (mm)/ Benkelman
 Road                                /km)/        /            Depth(mm)                      Beam
                                     Roughness    Resistance
 Jambulingam Street      2002        2700         41           0.63           2.55            0.85
 Veerabadhra Street      2003        3785         45           0.70           2.62            0.60
 Vandiyur road,          2004        3005         41           0.66           2.75            0.84
 Vilachery Road, MDU     2005        3891         45           0.50           2.89            0.86
 Canteen Road, TCE       2006        3100         45           0.65           2.86            0.86
 Plain Bitumen Road      2002        5200         76           0.83           2.33            1.55
 Tolerance Value*        ------      4000         <65          .6-.8          2.86            0.5-1
1. Unevenness / Roughness; Source IRC: SP: 16-2004
2. Skid Resistance/ Skid Number; Standardized in UK under BS:812-1967
3. Sand Texture Depth; BS 598 part 105(1990)
4. Rebound Deflection / Benkelman Beam; IRC:81-1997
5. Field Density; Highway Engineering by S. K. Khanna, C.E.G. Justo; New Chand & Bros, Roorkee
   (U.A); Eighth edition ;2001
                                                                                     Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
d) Advantages of Plastic Bitumen Road
                                                                           • Making roads with plastic mixture reduces the
• Presence of plastic increases the binding capacity
                                                                             cost and frequency of maintenance.
     better bonding of the mixture, making the roads
                                                                           • The cost incurred in construction of a Bitumen-
     more resistant to external conditions such as
                                                                             plastic road is significantly lesser than that of an only
     extreme heat (UV radiation), etc., and makes roads
                                                                             Bitumen road
     stronger with increased Marshall Stability Value
                                                                           • Salt deposition on the pores of stone which
• Bitumen film is often stripped off the aggregates
                                                                             results in road degradation, is also prevented
     because of the penetration of water, which results
                                                                           • Consumption of bitumen decreases by around
     in pothole formation. This is accelerated during the
                                                                             10%. For 1km x 3.75m road, 1 tonne of plastic (10
     movement of vehicle. When polymer is coated over
                                                                             lakh carry bags) is used and 1 tonne of bitumen
     aggregate, the coating reduces its affinity for water
                                                                             is saved 14.
     due to non-wetting nature of the polymer and this
     resists the penetration of water, thereby reducing
                                                                           e) Cost Comparison between Plain bitumen road
     pothole formation during rains                                        and Plastic Bitumen Road*
 S No        Material Needed                         Plain Bitumen Process                     Plastic Bitumen road
 1           Road Construction Cost                  Rs. 21.00 lakhs                           Rs. 18.90 lakhs
 2           Maintenance Cost @ Rs. / km             Rs. 14,000 per km per year for            No Maintenance cost for a min five
             per year                                rural roads.                              years Maintenance not needed up to 10
                                                     Thus for five years Rs. 70,000            years
 3           Road Renewal Cost                       Roads renewed after 5 years costing Rs.   Nil
                                                     3.5 lakhs
 4           Total Cost for min. service of five     Rs. 25.2 lakhs                            Rs. 18.9 lakhs
             years
 5           Use of Waste Plastics                   Nil                                       One Tonne per Km
 6           Total Cost Saved                        Nil                                       Rs. 6.3 lakhs
Cost Comparison implies Rs. 6.3 lakhs can be saved when constructing plastic bitumen road of 1 km length by
3.75 m width.
*The data has been compiled from Padma Shri. Dr. R Vasudevan who is also called as the ‘Plastic Man of India’.
14 Source:   http://earthuntouched.com/plastic-roads-revolutionary-idea/
 32 Swachh Bharat Mission -
CASE STUDY: UTILIZATION OF PLASTIC WASTE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN BENGALURU
(Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika)
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika (BBMP) has worked with a Bangalore based company, KK Plastic
Waste Management Ltd. in providing innovative solution by reusing non-recyclable plastics in construction of
roads. The technology has been patented and certified by the Centre for Transportation Engineering (CTE) and
the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). Since 2002, The Company has been successful in laying 3000
Km
of road length successfully in Bangalore city by using 12,000 Tonnes of the plastic waste collected from city’s
garbage. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with BBMP since 2004-2005 to till date for
collecting plastic waste from city’s garbage and mixing KK Poly Blend in Bitumen while constructing roads at a
rate of Rs. 27/Kg. The manufacturing units with a potential of 20 tonnes per day are located in:
1. Yelchenahalli: Kanakpura Road
2. Anjanapur, Kanakpura Road
BBMP also helped in establishing the network with the bulk generators for collecting the plastic waste from the
source of its generation within the city. Following are the roads being laid in recent time:
2018
 Location                                                                Road Length in Km     Period of Laying
 Outer Ring Road of Bangalore                                            14                    2008-09
 Bangalore University Road                                               8                     2013-2014
 Under PMGYS in Karnataka                                                80                    2014-2015
 Major Roads in Bangalore                                                20                    2017-2018
First 100% recycled road of 500 meters trial run stretch has been laid by KK Plastic Waste Management
Ltd. for Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project under World Bank Funding. In the same road, 100%
of scarified aggregates and 2% bitumen bas been reused out of scarified materials.
                                                                                  Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
3.3.3.4 Plastic to Toilet (Plastone)15/
                                                                        Utility:
Pavement Blocks
                                                                        •    Construction of IHHL at low cost using
According to the research conducted by
                                                                             Plastone and achieving hygienic sanitation
Dr. R.Vasudevan, Dr. A. Ramalinga Chandra Sekar
                                                                        •    Solution for easy disposal of waste plastics
and Mr B. Sundarakannan from Thiagarajar College of
Engineering, Madurai, Plastone is a material prepared
using waste plastics available in the solid waste of the                Scalability:
particular area which can be segregated and used as                     •    Plastone, the product outcome has been very
binder with the stone aggregate. This prefabricated                          handy and important structural material which
Plastone can be used in the construction of structure                        solves the problem of disposal of waste
of the Toilet Blocks (Individual Household Latrines) and                     plastics
is an effective substitute for bricks and cement blocks.                •    Plastone can consume all filmy waste plastics
This process can also be done in situ and no                                 both mono layered and multi layered packaging
external industry is involved. This process results in                       covers
not only in the reduction of the cost of construction of
                                                                        •    Plastone blocks are made without using bitumen,
IHHL, but also in the easy disposal of solid waste
                                                                             sand, cement and water, instead is made up of
available in the village. In a nut shell the research aim
                                                                             waste plastics and other waste materials only.
is to provide the technology of using Plastone in the
construction of toilets at a cheaper cost and as well
as a method for the easily disposal of waste plastics.                  Cost Analysis:
                                                                        A comparative cost analysis between the toilet
Novelty involved in the Product                                         structures constructed using traditional method and
• A new technique using waste plastics as a binder                      using Plastone blocks is mentioned below. (Assuming
   – new technique                                                      for construction of 4ft X 4ft X 7ft – Toilet structure)
• Structural blocks manufactured using solid waste                      •    Using Plastone Block – Rs 7556.00
   materials and waste plastics                                         •    Total number of Plastone blocks required of size
• First technology to utilize multi layered films of                         2ftX 1ft for the construction of toilet structure is 49
   waste plastics                                                            blocks
• Special properties of Plastone block with high                        •    Amount of waste plastics required is 156.00 Kgs
      compression strengths, malleability and ductility                 •    Amount of Aggregate required is 294.00 Kgs
 S. No        Type of Material                  Amount Required in Kg         Cost in Rs                Total in Rs
 1.           Waste Plastics                    156                           156 X 8 = 1248            1248.00
 2.           Aggregate                         294                           294 X 1= 294              294.00
 3.           Energy                            2                             2 X 57 = 114              114.00
 4.           Labour                            NA                            400 X 3 = 1200            1200.00
 5.           Fixing Frame                      NA                            2700                      2700.00
 6.           Sheet Laying and Sheet cost       NA                            2000                      2000.00
 Total                                                                                                  7556.00
15 Source: Research Study by Dr. R. Vasudevan, Dr. A. Ramalinga Chandra Sekar and Mr B. Sundarakannan from Thiagarajar College of
   Engineering (TCE), Madurai on PLASTONE BLOCK – A PRECAST STRUCTURE MADE WITH WASTE PLASTICS AND STONE
   AGGREGATE AND ITS USE IN TOILET CONSTRUCTION
 34 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Figure: Toilet Blocks made of Plastic Waste
• Using traditional method (Cement Wall Structure):
                                                                     Thus, the cost of IHHL construction with Plastone
                                                                     structures around 30% of the cost of cement wall
 S. No       Type of Expenses                          Total in Rs
                                                                     structure, when compared with traditional methods.
 1.          Earth work and Plain                      3000.00
             Concrete Cement (PCC)
             structure                                               Plastic to Pavement Blocks
 2.          Brick Work                                4000.00       In addition to the Toilet blocks, the ‘Plastone block
 3.          Brick Work for 4.5 ft. and 7 ft. height   9000.00       technology’ can be used for construction of Pavement
                                                                     blocks. The Plastone blocks are made from mixture
 4.          Plastering all over                       3000.00
                                                                     of waste plastics and stones and have been found
 5.          Sheet laying and sheet cost               2000.00
                                                                     to be five times stronger than the cement concrete
 6.          Cement and Sand                           6000.00       block and is able to withstand more pressure and
 Total                                                 27000.00      resist percolation of water. It has many advantages
                                                                     over the conventional blocks made of cement. Each
                                                                     Plastone block consumes 300 plastic carry bags and
                                                                     four to six PET bottles. It weighs light and has high
                                                                     transverse strength. These blocks can be used for
                                                                     flooring especially outdoor, in raising compound walls
                                                                     and lining of canals
                                                                                            Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
CASE STUDY: HYDERABAD- USE OF PLASTIC PAVEMENT BLOCK
India’s first dog park is not just a haven for dog lovers, but also a glimmer of hope for environmentalists fighting
for a plastic-free world. In a first, the 4,000 sq. ft. pavement right outside the park has been constructed out
of 1,500 recycled plastic tiles. Installed by GHMC and Hyderabad-based start-up Bamboo House India,
these tiles are an eco-friendly alternative that offers a practical solution to the growing menace of plastic.
“Urban cities today are plagued with the problem of waste-management and as social entrepreneurs we
consider it as an opportunity to produce sustainable yet profitable products,” says Prashant Lingam, co-
founder Bamboo House India. These tiles are a smart investment option for the government as they do not
have to be replaced every six months thus saving a lot of money. These tiles are strong, long-lasting and
comparatively cheap too, he points out. Currently installed on a pilot basis, each tile weighs up to 300 grams
and is made out of 600 polybags. Besides being fire-proof and damage-free, these have been designed
for percolation of water and thereby ensure better ground water table recharge.
GHMC West Zone Commissioner Harichandana says the civic body had been looking for solutions to deal
with waste in general and wants very little trash to end up in its dumpyards. With these tiles we are not only
getting a cost cut, but also ensuring that our environment is not negatively affected. This project is picking up
and we are soon going to see several pavements like these across Hyderabad,” she says. The figure
shows one such recycled footpath.
Interestingly, this is not the only eco-friendly installation by Bamboo House India. Only two months ago, the
parking shelter at Miyapur Metro Station was replaced by a unique house made completely out of recycled
plastic waste. But why chose plastic over conventional steel shelters? “Because they are cheaper and cooler,”
avers Prashant. Bamboo House India produced and installed one plastic house for just Rs 1.5 lakh whereas
a regular steel shelter would have cost twice. And because they used ‘trash’ like tetra packs, bottle caps
and poly bags as raw materials, they ended up producing a heat-proof, water- proof, fire-proof and damage-
free house at a minimum cost.
Not only this, Hyderabad has made Recycle Bins out of Plastic Pet Bottles, Plastic Bags, Shampoo Bottles &
Toothpaste Packets. Each Bin consists of 30kgs of Plastic.
In total, there are 775 no of bins installed in one zone and 23,500 Kgs of Total Amount of Plastic Waste has
been used.
36 Swachh Bharat Mission -
3.3.3.5         Recycling of multilayered plastic          and costly. Pyrolysis and gasification are two key
As per the CPCB and Plastic Waste Management               technologies currently used for tertiary recycling of
Rules 2016, ‘multi layered packaging means any             multi-layered packaging waste. If Tertiary recycling not
material used or to be used for packaging and              possible, Quaternary Recycling, i.e. the process for
having at least one layer of plastic as the main           recovering energy from waste plastics by incineration
ingredients in combination with one or more layers of      may also be considered to recycle multi-layered
materials such as paper, paper board, polymeric            plastics.
materials, metalized layers or aluminum foil, either in
the form of a laminate or co-extruded structure.           3.3.3.6       Styrofoam and Tetra Pak
                                                           a) Styrofoam (Extruded polystyrene foam)
Fruit juices and wines can be kept for extended            Plastic with recycling symbol of #6, Styrofoam is the
periods of time at room temperature in containers          trademarked name of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS).
made from paper, aluminum foil and polyethylene            It is commonly used in food, insulating materials,
film. Laminated foil with paper on the inside is used      and shipping packaging. EPS is cheap to produce,
for packaging tea and sweets. This kind of foil is         lightweight, and recyclable, yet most Materials
three times as waterproof as standard foil even in         Recovery Facilities still do not accept it as part of
hot climates: the paper absorbs moisture while the         the recycling program and is impossible to
foil itself protects the contents against other negative   degrade naturally over time, making it a big problem
elements. Most companies prefer multi layered              for landfills16.
packaging because it is light, reduces shipping
volume, doesn’t take up much space on a shelf,             Recycling of Styrofoam:
and is graphics friendly. Multi layered packaging          Recyclers have found ways to compact the material
waste has found mention in the Plastic Waste               to a more manageable size. Balers take foam
Management Rules, 2016 and its amendment in                packaging and compress it, reducing the bulk
2018.                                                      somewhat.
                                                           Another method is to use limonene, a natural solvent
• No one shall manufacture multi layered packaging         made from orange peels. Limonene dissolves and
  unless they obtain a registration from the State         concentrates EPS and can itself be reused. The
  Pollution Control Board                                  chemical causes the EPS foam to “melt” without
• Manufacture and use of multi layered plastic which       heat, reducing it to 5% of its original size. Thermal
  is non- recyclable or non-energy recoverable or          compaction uses heat to reduce chopped EPS to a
  with no alternate fuel, should be phased out in two      concentrated brick that’s easier to ship.
  years’ time                                              When it is burned in municipal incinerators,
• Extended Producer Responsibility: Primary                polystyrene yields nothing but carbon dioxide and
  responsibility for collection of used multilayered       water vapor. It’s a good fuel for waste-to-energy plants
  plastic sachet or pouches or packaging is of             that capture the heat and turn it to useful purposes.
  Producers, Importers and Brand owners who
  introduce the products containing multilayered           Benefits of recycling Styrofoam:
  plastic in the market                                    • Recycled EPS product that looks like wood and
                                                             can be used for park benches and fence posts.
Tertiary Recycling is most preferred option till the         The material costs less than hardwood and can be
industry finds an alternative to Multi layered packaging     used instead of woods such as mahogany and
since separating the individual layers is difficult          teak, which are harvested from rainforests.
                                                                                Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
16 Source:   https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling1.htm
 38 Swachh Bharat Mission -
• Making polystyrene requires petroleum, which is a                            Polystyrene can produce toxic chemicals when
   non-renewable resource. So, recycling polystyrene                           burned unless efficient incinerators are used.
   reduces the amount of oil needed for the
   manufacturing process.                                                 b) Tetra Pak
• Recycled EPS would lead to reduction of litter                          It is multinational food packaging and processing
   both on land and in the sea                                            company of Swedish origin. The company offers
• Recycling consumer polystyrene also prevents                            packaging, filling machines and processing for dairy,
   the material from being burned in backyard fires.                      beverages, cheese, ice-cream and prepared food,
Snapshot of countries that have introduced regulations on Styrofoam products
The table17 below highlights a snapshot of few countries that have introduced regulations on Styrofoam products:
 Area         Country        Year      Level           Policy                  Features
 Asia         Sri Lanka      2017      National        Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on the import, sale, and use of polyethylene bags
                                                       force                   <20μ and Styrofoam containers (Sri Lanka bans plastic, 2017;
                                                                               Jayasekara, 2012)
              Indonesia      2016      Local –         Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on the use of Styrofoam in the city of Bandung
                                       Bandung         force                   (Hong, 2016).
              Philippines    2011      Local –         Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on the use of plastic bags on dry goods, regulations
                                       Muntinlupa      force                   on their use for wet goods in the city of Muntinlupa & Ban
                                                                               on the use of Styrofoam and styropor (Earth justice,
                                                                               2015).
 Central      Belize         2018      National        Ban- approved           Type: Ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, Styrofoam,
 & South                                                                       and plastic food utensils (Government of Belize Press Office,
 America                                                                       2018).
              Antigua        2017      National        Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on Styrofoam with an implementation plan of three
              and                                      force                   stages. Ban on food service containers since 2017, from
              Barbuda                                                          2018 onwards ban on plastic utensils (e.g. spoons, straws,
                                                                               food trays, etc.) and ban on importation and use of Styrofoam
                                                                               coolers (Nice, Ltd, 2017).
              Guatemala      2017      Local – San     Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam containers in San
                                       Pedro La        force                   Pedro La Laguna. Cantel, Quetzaltenango and San Juan
                                       Laguna and                              Sacatepéquez have introduced similar laws (Chiyal, 2017).
                                       other cities
 North        Canada         2018      Local-          Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on plastic bags <50μ in Montreal (Quebec) (Fundira,
 America                               Montreal        effect                  2016).
              United         2015      Local- New      Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on single-use Styrofoam containers instituted
              States of                York City,      force                   in New York City. The ban was challenged by a coalition
              America                  New York                                of recycling firms and plastics manufacturers who claimed
                                                                               the material is recyclable. The ban was lifted in 2015 and
                                                                               reintroduced in 2017 (Alexander, 2017).
 Oceania      Marshall       2017      National        Ban-entered into        Type: Ban on importation, manufacture and use of single-use
              Islands                                  force                   plastic carrier bags. Ban on Styrofoam and plastic cups,
                                                                               plates and packages (SPREP, 2018; Styrofoam and Plastic
                                                                               Products Prohibition Act, 2016).
17 Source: UN Environment: Single Use Plastics- A Roadmap for Sustainability
                                                                                                     Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
including distribution tools like accumulators, cap
applicators, conveyors, crate packers, film wrappers,
line controllers and straw applicators.
It has 6 layers of packaging. Tetra Pak was founded
by Ruben Rausing and built on Erik Wallenberg’s
innovation, a tetrahedron shaped plastic-coated paper
carton, from which the company name was derived.
Tetra Pak products have been identified as solid waste
problem by many NGOs and environmental groups.
Unlike aluminum cans or glass bottles, it cannot be
recycled in municipal recycling facilities. However,                       different materials, or if not recycled, can end up in
since aseptic packages contain different layers of                         landfills18.
plastic and aluminium in addition to raw paper, they
cannot be recycled as “normal” paper waste, but                            Products of Tetra Pak can be handled and
need to go to special recycling units for separation                       recycled just like multi-layered plastics.
of the
 CASE STUDY: GO GREEN INITIATIVE OF TETRA PAK
 Tetra Pak India has come up with ‘Go Green’ initiative thereby encouraging recycling of cartons. It has
 partnered with McCann Health India for its campaign ‘Cartons le aao, classroom banao’ (bring cartons and build
 a classroom), which encourages consumers to adopt green practices by depositing used paper-based Tetra Pak
 cartons for recycling at collection centres. Such cartons can be used to make desks, notepads, exam pads and
 even roofing sheets for the less privileged. The initiative is in line with its efforts to raise awareness and
 encourage recycling of used cartons and a part of its on-going flagship programme ‘Go green with Tetra Pak.’
 Since the beginning of the Go green campaign in 2010, 1.8 million cartons have already been collected and
 recycled and 250 school desks have been provided to schools for the lesser privileged through this campaign.
 The campaign is a multi-city one and the first leg in Mumbai has been undertaken in collaboration with retail
 chains Reliance Fresh, Reliance Smart and Sahakari Bhandar and with NGO RUR Greenlife, a Mumbai-based
 environment organisation at the forefront of promoting recycling.
 To take the campaign message to Mumbaikars across the city, Tetra Pak has also tied up with the
 Dabbawala association as part of the campaign.
    Source:   https://bestmediainfo.com/2017/04/tetra-pak-india-continues-go-green-initiative-encourages-recycling-of-cartons/
18 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra_Pak#Environment
 40 Swachh Bharat Mission -
3.3.3.7         Applications of Recycled Plastics
                              PETE or PET       PET- Polyethylene Terephthalate used for many bottles application because they are
                                                inexpensive, lightweight, and shatter- resistant.
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Mineral/ Drinking Water Bottles, Cosmetic Bottles)
                              HDPE              HDPE- High Density Polyethylene used for in bottles, carry bags, milk pouches,
                                                recycle bins, etc.
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Tubes, sewer pipes, pallets, boxes, buckets, toys, bottles for
                                                detergents, construction, cable insulation, packaging of food products etc.)
                              PVC               PVC- Polyvinyl Chloride used for pipes and fittings, Tarpaulins, Medical Apps.,
                                                etc. (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Sewer Pipes, Window frames, Construction,
                                                Flooring, Wallpaper, Bottles, Car Interiors, Medical products, Planks, etc.)
                              LDPE              LDPE- Low Density Polyethylene used in Plastic bags, various containers,
                                                dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, etc.
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Flexible packaging, bin liners, carrier bags, tubes,
                                                agricultural mulch film, agricultural sheet, construction film, cling-film, heavy duty sacks,
                                                etc.)
                              PP                PP- Polypropylene used in Auto parts, Industrial Fibers, Food containers, etc.
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Pipes, pallets, boxes, furniture, car parts, pots of
                                                yoghurt, buckets, butter, margarine, fibers, milk crates, etc.)
                              PS                PS- Polystyrene is used in food service packaging, disposable cups, tray pitchers,
                                                refrigerators, liners, etc. It may also be used as cushioning materials for fresh produce,
                                                electronic or appliance industries, etc.
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: Clothes Hangers, Park Benches, Flower Pots, Toys, Spoons,
                                                Cutlery, Picture Frames, Seeding containers, etc.)
                              Others            Others (usually, Mixed Plastic Waste, used in Thermoset Plastics, Multilayer and
                                                laminates, Bakelite, Polycarbonate, etc.)
                                                (RECYCLED PRODUCTS: CDs, Pallets, Floors, Roofs, Furniture, Sheeting, Benches,
                                                Shoe soles, etc.)
     Figure: Applications of Recycled Plastic
                                                                                                   Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
CASE STUDY: CONVERSION OF PET BOTTLE WASTE INTO TEXTILE PRODUCTS
A Petro- Chemical company has taken an initiative to collect the PET bottle waste from all over India and
convert it into textile products. It has tied up with 150 vendors in India to provide PET bottle bales for
processing into textile products.
The company is installing RVM (Reverse Vending Machines) at various locations such as Malls, Exhibition
Centres, School/ Colleges and Temples/ Pilgrimage Places, for collection of PET bottle waste and creating
awareness among citizens to use the PET bottles responsibly. These collected bottles are recycled and
used to make fabrics for bags, T-shirts and garments in composition with natural fibres like cotton, wool etc.
The company uses 4 R model which includes the concept of ‘Replace’ along with the existing 3R model
(Reduce, Reuse and Recycle). It has replaced natural raw materials with used PET bottles and for every 8000
PET bottles recycled, one full barrel of Oil is saved.
The wet colouring process in the product of Polyester staple fibre into dry one with no Pollution. Elimination
of wet dyeing from process also eliminates all the associated pollution. The process of using dry dyeing is an
advantage to environment.
Henceforth, every bag or T shirt made from PET bottles:
1. Reduces the usage of water by 1400 Litres
2. Redeems 8 waste PET bottle from the land-fill
3. Reduces pesticide usage by over 50%
4. Reduces carbon foot-print by 32%
This eco-friendly process of conversion of PET bottles to bags/textile products is based on zero waste
concept, uses renewable energy, prevents sewage pollution, reduces consumption of bags and creates green
environment.
Reverse Vending Machine (RVM):
Machine specification
•     Dimension in Inch:72” (H) x 38” (W) x 32” (D)
•     Dimension in Ft: 6 Ft ( Height) x 3.1 Ft (Width) x 2.66 Ft (Breath)
•     External 17” Led Screen for coupon management and branding.
•     Dual cylinder hydraulic compression.
•     220 V Single Phase Motor, 50 HZ, 1.5 kW
•     Internal coupon printer.
•     Collection bin with capacity to collect 15kg of crushed plastic
•     Sensors to detect bottles with auto stop functionality
•     Wi-Fi/3G network operations with remote software access.
•     Galvanized sheets with carbon steel load bearing components
42 Swachh Bharat Mission -
PET bottle recycling system:
This case study is created based on the information shared by ‘Reliance Industries Limited’. Similar model may be adopted and replicated by
other companies.
                                                                                                Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
3.3.4 Recovery
                                                         processing indicate substitution of primary fuel and
Another alternative is recovering the energy stored in
                                                         raw material by waste, and/or material from waste.
residual material. That means turning waste into fuel
                                                         Waste material such as plastic waste used for co-
for manufacturing processes or equipment designed
                                                         processing are referred to as alternative fuels and
to produce energy. Various mechanical, biological
                                                         raw material (AFR). Co-processing of plastic waste
and caloric systems and technologies can convert,
                                                         offers advantages for cement industry as well as
reprocess or break up wastes into new materials
                                                         for the Municipal Authorities responsible for waste
or energy.
                                                         management. On other hand, cement producers or
                                                         power plants can save fossil fuel and raw material
3.3.4.1 Plastic to Alternate Fuel                        consumption, contributing more eco-efficient
(Co-processing of Plastic Waste as Alternate             production. In addition, one of the advantages of
Fuel and Raw Material (AFR) in cement Kilns
                                                         recovery method is to eliminate the need to invest on
and Power Plants)
                                                         other plastic waste practices and to secure land filling.
Co-processing refers to use of waste materials in
                                                         The schematic flow diagram of the process is shown
industrial processes such as cement and power
                                                         in Figure below and protocol for Co-Processing of
stations or any other large combustion plants.
                                                         Plastic Waste is given in the table below:
Co-
 Figure: Co-Processing of Plastic Waste
44 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Protocol for Co-processing of plastic waste
Sl. No    Item                           Description                                                  Action to be taken by
1         Collection of plastic waste    Concerned Municipal Authority should create a                Municipal Corporation,
                                         system for collection of plastics waste through Public       Nagar Nigam, Nagar
                                         Private Partnership (PPP) mode or any other feasible         Parishad & Cantonment
                                         method.                                                      Boards
2         Segregation & Pre-             Collected plastics can be reprocessed/sorted into            Municipal
          processing of plastics         recyclable and non-recyclable fractions. The Non-            Corporation, Nagar
          waste                          recyclable plastics waste will be transported to nearest     Nigam, Nagar Parishad
                                         cement kilns and power plants for co-processing by           & Cantonment Boards
                                         concerned Municipal Authority in consultation with
                                         concerned State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/ Pollution
                                         Control Committee (PCC).
3         Identification of cement       Mapping of cement kilns and power plant for accepting        State Pollution Control
          factory                        co- processing of plastic waste in same State or             Boards & Pollution
                                         neighboring State. An agreement shall be signed              Control
                                         between Municipal Corporations and Cement kilns.
4         Modification for feeding       Cement Industry/power plant to set-up storage facility,      Concerned Cement
          plastic waste (PW) in cement   shredder, conveyor-belt, hopper, winch-machine and           Industries/ power plant
          kilns                          double-flap damper.
5         Setting-up of laboratory       Cement industry/power plant shall set-up a lab facility to   Concerned Cement
          for plastics waste             analyze plastics waste before sending for co-processing.     Industries/ power plant
          analysis                       The instrumentation include Thermo-Gravimetric Analyzer,
                                         Bomb- Calorimeter and C, H, N & S Analyzer.
6         Monitoring of emission by      Cement Industry/power plant shall monitor the emission in    Concerned Cement Industry
          cement industry/ SPCBs         respect of routine parameters and hazardous air pollutants   , Power Plant and SPCBs/
                                         (HAPs)                                                       PCCs
7         Forwarding progress            Quarterly progress report of Co-processing of plastic        SPCBs/PCCs and Cement
          Report to CPCB                 waste shall be forwarded to CPCB.                            Industries/ Power Plant
                                                                                              Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
CASE STUDY: PLASTIC TO ALTERNATE FUEL
(Co-Processing of Plastics Waste in Cement Kiln- ACC Cement Limited (Gagal Cement Works)
Company Details:
ACC Limited is India’s foremost manufacturer of cement and concrete. ACC’s operations are spread
throughout the country with 16 modern cement factories, more than 40 Ready mix concrete plants. Since
inception in 1936, the company has been a trendsetter and IMPORTANT benchmark for the cement industry
in many areas of cement and concrete technology. ACC has a unique track record of innovative research,
product development and specialized consultancy services. The company’s various manufacturing units are
backed by a central technology support services center - the only one of its kind in the Indian cement industry.
Gagal Cement Works is one of cement plants in ACC Group.
Green Soldiers from Gagal Cement works launched first project titled ‘Making Gagal Plastic Free’.
Segregation is the essence of effective waste management and hence, a workshop was organized for the
stakeholders.
All colony and local village residents were invited for a discussion on the strategy. Green Soldiers team was
trained on the ways to segregate the plastic waste. The Green Soldiers team collected about 53 Tonnes of
plastic waste, which was successfully co-processed in Gagal cement kiln.
Project Details:
The plastic waste collected from the villages, colony and plant premises were weighed at the weighbridge
each week after the collection drive. The drive started with collection of 50 kgs/week, which is presently
recording approximately 2 Tonnes of collection per week. This gave a clear indication that the stakeholders
were increasingly becoming more aware about segregation and concerned about their environment.
Result of the Project and Replication Potential:
• Co-processing of waste at cement kiln is the
  best disposal option than conventional options of
  landfilling and incineration. It also substitutes fossil
  fuel.
• The initiative can be replicated across other
  industries and companies countrywide, as well
  as at a global level. The beauty of the initiative is
  that, keeping the ideas intact, the projects can
  easily be moulded to suit the climate, topography
  and biodiversity of any area across the world. Our
  natural resources are getting scarce by the minute
  and alternate fuels such as bio-charcoal / plastic
  are an excellent way to alleviate this paucity of non-
  renewable energy sources
46 Swachh Bharat Mission -
3.3.4.2 Waste Incineration
Waste incineration, or controlled burning, is typically     Material       Heat              Material          Heat Capacity
considered as a disposal method, because it is                             Capacity                            MJ/kg
                                                                           MJ/kg
usually applied as a method of reducing the volume of
miscellaneous municipal waste. However, incineration        PVC            18                Heavy fuel oil    41
of plastics can also be seen as recovery method,            PE             27                Coal              26
as plastics could replace the application of other oil      PET            46                Natural gas       36
based fuels.
                                                            PS             41                Milled peat       10
                                                            ABS            35                Paper             17
                                                          Table: Heat capacity of plastics and some other materials
                                                                                  Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
4. Way Forward
4.1Ten step Roadmap for Governments19                                          explaining the decision and any punitive measures
Given the broad range of possible actions to                                   that will follow.
curb single-use plastics and their mixed impact,                         6. Promote alternatives. Before the ban or levy
UN Environment has drawn up a 10-step                                          comes into force, the availability of alternatives need
roadmap for governments that are looking to                                    to be assessed, hence the government may:
adopt similar                                                              • Ensure that the preconditions for their uptake in
measures or improve on current ones. The steps                                  the market are in place.
are based on the experiences of 60 countries                               • Provide economic incentives to encourage
around the globe:                                                               the uptake of eco-friendly and fit-for-purpose
                                                                                alternatives that do not cause more harm.
1. Target the most problematic single-use                                  • Support can include tax rebates, research
   plastics by conducting a baseline assessment to                              and development funds, technology
   identify the most problematic single-use plastics, as                        incubation, public-private partnerships, and
   well as the current causes, extent and impacts of                            support to projects that recycle single-use
   their mismanagement.                                                         items and turn waste into a resource that
2. Consider the best actions to tackle the                                      can be used again.
   problem (e.g. through regulatory, economic,                             • Reduce or abolish taxes on the import of materials
   awareness, voluntary actions), given the country’s                           used to make alternatives.
   socio-economic standing and considering their                         7. Provide incentives to industry by introducing tax
   appropriateness in addressing the specific                                  rebates or other conditions to support its transition.
   problems identified.                                                        Governments will face resistance from the plastics
3. Assess the potential social, economic and                                   industry, including importers and distributors of
   environmental impacts (positive and negative)                               plastic packaging. Give them time to adapt.
   of the preferred short-listed instruments/actions, by                 8. Use revenues collected from taxes or levies on
   considering how will the poor be affected, or what                          single-use plastics to maximize the public good,
   impact will the preferred course of action have on                          thereby supporting environmental projects or
   different sectors and industries.                                           boosting local recycling with the funds and creating
4. Identify and engage key stakeholder groups                                  jobs in the plastic recycling sector with seed
   – retailers, consumers, industry representatives,                           funding.
   local government, manufacturers, civil society,                       9. Enforce the measure chosen effectively, by making
   environmental groups, and tourism associations –                            sure that there is clear allocation of roles and
   to ensure broad buy-in. Evidence-based studies                              responsibilities.
   are also necessary to defeat opposition from the                      10. Monitor and adjust the chosen measure if
   plastics industry.                                                           necessary and update the public on
5. Raise public awareness about the harm                                        progress.
   caused by single-used plastics, by clearly
19 Source: UN Environment: Single Use Plastics- A Roadmap for Sustainability
 48 Swachh Bharat Mission -
4.2Adoption of ‘Circular Economy’                                        In a circular economy, the value of products and
A circular economy aims to eliminate waste,
                           20
                                                                         materials is maintained for as long as possible.
not just from recycling processes, but throughout                        Waste is minimized and resources are kept within the
the lifecycles of products and packaging. A                              economy when a product has reached the end of its
circular                                                                 life, to be used again to create further value.
economy aims to maximize value and eliminate waste
by improving the design of materials, products and
business models.
A circular economy goes beyond recycling. The goal
is not just to design for better end-of-life recovery, but
to minimize the use of raw materials and energy
through a restorative system.
Figure: Overview of ‘Circular Economy’
20 Source: 2017 strategy for a waste-free Ontario. Building the circular economy.
   https://www.ontario.ca/page/strategy-waste-free-ontario-building-circular-economy
                                                                                             Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
4.3Extended Producer’s Responsibilities (EPR)                Model-1:
In addition to the responsibilities of Producer’s, Plastic   State/ ULB to introduce ‘Buy back Depository
Waste Management Rules, 2016 defines the                     Mechanism’ with a predefined buy back price
Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR), as                 printed on plastic products, so that consumers will
responsibility of a producer for the environmentally         receive a specified amount while returning the used
sound management of the product until the end of its         products. The manufacturers/ producers of these
life.                                                        plastic products need to set up collection centres
                                                             with reverse vending or crushing machines and
Rule 9 of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016           recycling units of adequate capacity to collect such
(PWMR, 2016), sets out modalities for implementation         used plastic products/packaging and recycle these.
of EPR under the ambit of the rules. The producers           This model not only incentivises consumers to not
are required to set out modalities for waste collection      litter plastic products/ packaging post consumption
system based on Extended Producers Responsibility            but also encourages retailers/producers to recycle
and involving State Urban Development Departments,           more.
either individually or collectively, through their own
distribution channel or through the local body               Following are some of the ways in which this model
concerned.                                                   may be implemented:
                                                             • The ‘Deposit Return schemes’ operating in
In this regard, below mentioned models suggesting              Germany, England, etc. suggest a model wherein
producers’ responsibilities may be considered to               the consumer has to pay an additional deposit
improve recycling:                                             as part of the price of the product, and deposit
                                                               is
                                                               returned to the consumer on return of the product
                                                               to the retailer.
 50 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Figure: Model-1 of EPR
                         Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
Figure: Model-2 of EPR
• The consumers may also use the “reverse vending         where government, private and other stakeholders
  machines” which weigh and scan the plastic              including producers/importer/brand owner can
  product to match against a list of acceptable           become members. The amount to be contributed
  shapes and sizes. If it matches the list, the product   by each of the producers/ importer/ brand owner
  would go down a chute for either recycling or           will be decided based on the amount of plastic
  shredding, and the machine hands the consumer           being
  a voucher to be encashed at any of the store.           introduced into the market by the producers/ importer/
  The                                                     brand owner. Under the National Framework of EPR,
  machines could be located at strategic places,          funding will be provided to 3 entities, one is the ULB,
  such as malls, hotels, multiplexes, shops, public       second is the assembler/recycler and the third is
  places, etc. to make these easily accessible by         through SPCB for conducting IEC Activities.
  citizens and encourage them to use the same.
• As a part of EPR, the producers can sign                • A committee will be constituted at the central level
  agreements with the retailers to return the plastic       for overall monitoring the implementation of the
  product/ packaging, as received from the                  EPR.
  consumer for recycling purpose. The barcode on          • The State Level Advisory Boards (SLABs)
  these products/ packaging may be used for                 constituted under the Solid Waste Management
  tracking.                                                 Rules 2016 at the state level will manage the
                                                            process of appraising the proposals submitted
Model-2:                                                    by the ULBs and disbursement of funds to the
A national Framework on EPR is proposed where               ULBs, recyclers and for IEC activity.
the producers/importers/brand owner is required to        • Representative of producers/ importer/ brand owner
contribute to the EPR corpus fund at the central level.     to be part of SLABs.
This may be an escrow account managed by a
Board
52 Swachh Bharat Mission -
              Figure: Model-3 of EPR
• The proposal of ULBs will be compulsorily for           Model-3:
  the management of plastic waste                         The basic framework of the system will perform as
• Funds will be provided for a pre-defined set of items   follows:
  like weighing machines, bailing units, backward/        • Targets will be assigned to producers based on
  forwards integration of the recycling units to            the plastic put out by them in the market
  recyclers/assemblers.                                   • Producers will not be required to recycle their
• Funds can be allocated by SLABs to the SPCB               own plastics, but will be required to ensure that
  for the IEC activities. SPCBs can appoint selected        an equivalent amount of plastic is being recycled/
  agencies for conducting these activities. A               reused
  systematic implementation schedule can be               • An instrument called ‘Plastic Credit’ is proposed
  prepared by SPCB and based on the schedule                to be introduced which is and will be evidence
  they can conduct IEC Activities.                          of recycling or recovery.
• A monitoring mechanism will be established for          • Plastic Credit will be issued by accredited
  timely implementation of projects/ allotment of pre-      processors in exchange of financial transactions to
  defined items to recyclers/assemblers.                    producers (or PROs)
                                                          • The funds generated by the processors will
                                                                              Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
  incentivize the collection and segregation systems      • The system is designed to ensure funding may
  (through ULBs) and the recycling industries               be directed to remove bottlenecks in the material
  to increase capacity and capability to ensure             recovery chain through market corrections. Market
  environmentally sound end of life management of           would correct itself and guide funding to sources
  plastic waste                                             such as material collection, sorting, reprocessing or
• Producers will be at liberty to engage individually       supporting end use markets. Hence, businesses will
  (through buy back or deposit refund schemes) or           have incentive to support long term investments to
  collectively (through registered PROs) will the ULBS,     support their efforts.
  processors and the inform sector
• They system aims to create a marketplace for
  plastic credits which can be traded
PLASTIC CREDIT
• A producer is not required to recycle their own
  packaging, but to ensure that an equivalent amount
  of packaging waste has been recovered and
  recycled to meet their obligation.
• Producers are mandated to acquire evidence of
  recycling or recovery {Plastic Credit} from properly
  accredited processors (recyclers, W2E, plant
  operators, cement co-processors, users utilizing
  plastic in road) or exporters
• Producers and processors/ exporters may
  exchange plastic credits for a financial transaction
  at a price and other terms as negotiated between
  them.
• The producers can exchange credits from
  processors that have been specifically
  accredited for this purpose by CPCB. The
  accredited processors therefore receive additional
  funding for every tonne of packaging waste they
  reprocess and have an incentive to acquire further
  tonnage, thereby driving up recovery rates
54 Swachh Bharat Mission -
References
• Overview of Plastic Waste Management by CPCB
• Toolkit on Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016
• https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/harmful-effects-of-plastic-
  ze0z1205zsch
• https://plasticpollutioncoalition.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/222813127-Why-is-
  plastic-harmful-
• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016
• Plastic Waste Management (Amendment ) Rules, 2018
• https://saferenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/plastic-wastes-%E2%80%93-
  reduce-reuse-and-recycle-of-plastics-are-essential-to-make-environment-greener-and-
  safer/
• UNIDO 2018 Report by CIPET on ‘Recycling of Plastics in Indian Perspective’ by Dr. Smita
  Mohanty
• Research Study by Dr. R. Vasudevan, Dr. A. Ramalinga Chandra Sekar and Mr B. Sundarakannan
  from Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE), Madurai on ‘Plastone Block – A Precast Structure
  Made With Waste Plastics And Stone Aggregate And Its Use In Toilet Construction’
• UN Environment: Single Use Plastics- A Roadmap for Sustainability
• http://earthuntouched.com/plastic-roads-revolutionary-idea/
• 2017 strategy for a waste-free Ontario. Building the circular economy.
• https://www.ontario.ca/page/strategy-waste-free-ontario-building-circular-economy
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling1.
  htm
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.
  htm
• https://www.wikihow.com/Recycle-Styrofoam
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra_Pak#Environment
• https://bestmediainfo.com/2017/04/tetra-pak-india-continues-go-green-initiative-
  encourages-recycling-of-cartons/
                                                                           Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
Annexure
I.Ban on ‘one time use’ and ‘throwaway’ Plastics in Tamil Nadu
56 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
58 Swachh Bharat Mission -
II.   Ban on use of plastic carry bags in Himachal Pradesh
                                                             Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
60 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
III.   Ban on manufacturing and use of ‘Thermocol Cutlery’ in Himachal Pradesh
62 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
IV.   Ban on sale and use of disposable items made from Styrofoam in Sikkim
64 Swachh Bharat Mission -
V.Government order for the Use of Plastics in Road construction.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India has made it mandatory for road developers
to use waste plastic along with bituminous mixes for road construction to overcome the problem of disposal of
plastic waste in India’s urban centres.
The road developers will now have to use waste plastic along with hot mixes for constructing bitumen roads
within 50 km of periphery of any city that has a population of over 5 lakh.
In case of non-availability of waste plastic the developer has to seek ministry’s approval for constructing bitumen
only roads. The Government Order dated 9th November 2015, is placed below:
                                                                                 Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
66 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
VI.Use of Plastic in Tamil Nadu while constructing Roads
68 Swachh Bharat Mission -
The details of the roads laid using plastic in Tamil Nadu are mentioned below:
The Plastic Waste Mixed Roads laid by District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Tamil Nadu are as follows
 No     Name of District                              Length in km                Cost in Rs. Lakhs
 1      Kancheepuram                                  41.165                      120.480
 2      Coimbatore                                    63.250                      432.750
 3      Cuddalore                                     43.00                       146.410
 4      Dharmapuri                                    34.191                      150.660
 5      Dindigul                                      36.670                      121.780
 6      Kanyakumari                                   28.021                      123.422
 7      Karur                                         30.190                      155.060
 8      Madurai                                       54.500                      268.460
 9      Nagapattinam                                  31.071                      138.857
 10     Namakkal                                      53.780                      232.477
 11     Perambalur                                    34.850                      220.460
 12     Erode                                         60.110                      295.760
 13     Pudukkottai                                   22.930                      73.920
 14     Ramnad                                        13.500                      54.845
 15     Salem                                         31.685                      120.810
 16     Sivaganga                                     22.405                      94.800
 17     Thanjavur                                     37.604                      199.340
 18     The Nilgiris                                  6.900                       34.250
 19     Theni                                         25.000                      72.000
 20     Thiruvallur                                   15.000                      50.000
 21     Thiruvarur                                    32.705                      139.120
 22     Trichy                                        43.000                      171.300
 23     Tirunelveli                                   32.890                      179.500
                                                                            Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
 No     Name of District                                 Length in km                Cost in Rs. Lakhs
 24     Tiruvannamalai                                   39.100                      172.000
 25     Tuticorin                                        37.000                      205.650
 26     Vellore                                          52.770                      211.260
 27     Villupuram                                       54.100                      282.940
 28     Virudhunagar                                     25.200                      102.800
 29     Krishnagiri                                      28.802                      158.72
                           Total                         1031.389                    158.72
More than 1031 Kms of rural roads have been laid by DRDA, Tamil Nadu, distributing a minimum of 40 Kms for
each district. This was extended to all the 29 districts of Tamil Nadu.
The plastic waste bitumen road are also laid in various states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry,
Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
70 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Note
68 Swachh Bharat Mission -
Notes
        Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban
Note
70 Swachh Bharat Mission -
     Swachhata Pledge
         Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of an India which was not
             only free but also clean and developed.
         Mahatma Gandhi secured freedom for Mother India.
Now it is our duty to serve Mother India by keeping the country neat
                             and clean.
I take this pledge that I will remain committed towards cleanliness and
                           devote time for this.
         I will devote 100 hours per year that is two hours
  per week to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor
                          let others litter.
  I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my
                  locality, my village and my work place.
       I believe that the countries of the world that appear clean
   are so because their citizens don’t indulge in littering
                   nor do they allow it to happen.
        With this firm belief, I will propagate the message of
          Swachh Bharat Mission in villages and towns.
        I will encourage 100 other persons to take this pledge
                       which I am taking today.
      I will endeavour to make them devote their 100 hours for
                            cleanliness.
     I am confident that every step I take towards cleanliness will
                  help in making my country clean.