Page 28 - Plastics News - January 2024

ENVIRONMENT NEWS
AIPMA AT WORK

Govt wants to increase plastic sector’s contribution to GDP
Bangladesh's Plastic Industry Development Policy 2023 aims to boost the plastic sector's contribution to GDP by 2%,
generating 500,000 jobs by 2028. The policy targets a $10 billion market in plastics and packaging by 2028 and $20
billion by 2030, with a 15% annual growth goal. It encourages foreign direct investment, grants a 10-year income tax
exemption, and offers various incentives, including duty-free imports, tax credits, and VAT reductions, to promote the
industry's prosperity and global competitiveness. The policy emphasizes increasing manufacturing capacity for local
alternatives and enhancing exports of high-value products.

Indigenous equipment developed for mechanical recycling of waste thermoplastic polymers to composites

IIT Bombay has developed a single screw extruder, called GolDN (pronounced as Golden), for mechanically recycling
waste thermoplastic polymers and inorganic fillers to create polymer composites. Unlike commercially available
equipment, GolDN is designed to handle contaminated thermoplastic polymers, allowing for the production of molded
items like paver blocks, tiles, and bricks. Developed with support from the Department of Science and Technology, the
technology is now ready for commercialisation in laboratory settings, potentially reducing the instrument cost to INR
5 lakhs, making it 6-8 times more affordable. The researchers also created TGeosA for thermogravimetric analyses of
the resulting polymer composites.

CMI calls for bottle bill policies that compensate MRFs

The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) has released a report proposing compensation methods for Material Recovery
Facilities (MRFs) to counteract the negative financial impacts of bottle bills. The report suggests sharing a portion of
beverage container scrap revenue with MRFs or paying them the deposit value for certain containers they continue
to process. The CMI advocates for incorporating such MRF compensation methods into bottle bill legislation, citing
a recently introduced bill in Illinois as an example. The report responds to concerns raised in a 2022 report from the
National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), which highlighted reduced MRF revenue due to bottle bills. The CMI
aims to build consensus among MRFs and stakeholders, promoting container deposit laws and expanding programs
nationwide. However, NWRA views bottle bills as inconvenient and costly compared to curbside recycling systems,
Reliance becomes first in India to use chemical recycling for circular polymers advocating for policy options that address
challenges creatively.

Reliance becomes first in India to use chemical recycling for circular polymers

Reliance Industries has become the first Indian company to successfully chemically recycle plastic waste-based pyrolysis oil
into International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC)-Plus certified circular polymers. The newly introduced
polymers, named CircuRepol (Polypropylene) and CircuRelene (Polyethylene), serve as a testament to Reliance's
unwavering commitment to sustainability and its active role in reducing plastic waste in India.

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