Page 73 - Plastics News December 2019

FEAturEs

Seminar lays stress on better management of plastic waste

Experts a seminar on ‘Plastic recycling and waste management’ highlighted the need for sensibly handling of
plastic waste in the event of irreparable damage being caused by its indiscriminate dumping.

ndhra Chamber of Commerce had organized a seminar fuel generated could be used in factories with furnaces,
Ato lays stress on better management of plastic boilers, kilns, generators and others to generate heat
waste Andhra Chamber of Commerce city unit chairman or electricity. Any kind of plastic waste generated at
M. Rajaiah said that the seminar was organised to create households or industries could be used to generate the
awareness among the industrialists regarding plastic fuel and one tonne of plastic waste could generate 40%
management. to 50% fuel,” she said.

Experts at the seminar on ‘Plastic recycling and waste
management’ highlighted the need for sensibly handling
of plastic waste in the event of irreparable damage being
caused by its indiscriminate dumping.

Plastic not a problem’
V. Kiran Kumar, director and head of Central Institute of
Plastic Engineering and Technology (Centre for Skilling
and Technical Support) Vijayawada, said that plastic was
never a problem to the society.
“If plastic is disposed of properly there would be no
Speaking on the topic ‘Converting plastic waste into plastic problem with it. There is a need for society to do
oil’ at the seminar conducted by the Andhra Chamber of away with the habit of littering. India has the highest
Commerce, Paterson Energy Pvt. Ltd. managing director recycling capabilities in the world yet we have a lot of
Vidya Amarnath said that plastic which was once the issues. Disposing of plastic properly would end 80% of the
greatest invention turned into a problem after capitalism. problems,” Mr. Kiran Kumar said.
“Plastic is not the problem, but its indiscriminate
and mindless disposal by the people is a cause for Plastic waste Management
concern. Uncollected plastic waste being dumped in the Recently, Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment,
environment is increasing by the day and there is still no Forest and Climate Change during a Lok Sabha response
alternative to plastics used in industries for packaging informed that 40 per cent of plastic waste in the country
products from foodgrains to cars,” she said. is usually littered and remains uncollected on the street.
Explaining the way of converting plastic into fuel at Plastic waste management and littering have been an
her industries, Ms. Vidya said that recycling plastic into important issue which is prevalent for years. With recent
reusable plastic would only delay the material’s period of announcements around the ubiquitous plastic ban and
degradation while retaining the very essence of plastic in
it. “At our startup, we have developed a process called
‘thermochemical depolymerisation (pyrolysis)’ through
which we could get plastic back to its original form as
a petroleum product. Plastic which is made through
polymerisation from petroleum when heated between
350 to 600 centigrades temperature gives rise to vapour
consisting hydrocarbons which, when condensed and
cooled, becomes high-grade diesel variant fuel,” she said.
“This enables perfect circular economy in many industries
and the process has zero affluent and zero-emission. The

73
75 December 2019 Plastics News