PLASTIC WASTE AND ITS

MANAGEMENT

Dr. Rajeev Mehta

Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Sustainability and Plastics Waste Management

• If we do not do anything substantial to reduce our use of

natural resources and waste management, the earth is
predicted to have an expiry date of 50 years (World
Wildlife Fund - WWF)!!
• At the forefront is the plastic pollution: at the present
rate, the oceans will have more plastic than fish by
volume by 2050 (Science Magazine)!!
• The goal of plastic waste management is primarily to
reduce the requirement of virgin plastics (currently about
100 millions tons) by utilizing waste plastics, in addition
to other important approaches. This approach helps to
conserve resources and diverts plastics from landfills or
unintended destinations such as oceans.
 Presentation Outline
1. INTRODUCTION AND SOME FACTS
2. PLASTIC WASTE
 DEFINITION AND TYPES OF PLASTIC WASTE

 SOURCES OF PLASTIC WASTE

 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON DISPOSAL OF PLASTIC WASTE

 COMMONly RECYCLED PLASTICS

3. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

 PROCESSES OF PLASTIC RECYCLING INCLUDING NON-

TRADITIONAL APPLICATIONS

 PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

 DEFINITION OF PLASTIC
Plastics (Polymers) are macromolecules, formed by polymerization and
having the ability to be shaped by application of reasonable amount
of heat and/or pressure.

The polymerization reaction:

MONOMER(S) Catalyst (initiator)/heat/pressure POLYMER
low molecular weight high molecular weight
Thermoplastic vs Thermoset Plastics
Thermoplastic materials can be formed into desired
shapes under heat and pressure and become solids on

cooling.

Examples are polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl

chloride

Thermosetting materials which once shaped cannot be

softened/remoulded by the application of heat.

Examples are phenol formaldehyde and urea

formaldehyde
Sources of Wastes
 After food waste and paper waste, plastic waste is the major
constituent of municipal and industrial waste in cities.

2
1
 THE PROBLEM
20 times more plastic is produced today than 50 years ago.
The world’s annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from
around 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tons in 2016.

 This implies that:

More resources are being used to meet the increased demand of plastic,
and more importantly more plastic waste is being generated, which is
finding its way into our cities, water bodies and even in humans and
animals bodies.

 Due to lack of integrated solid waste management (ISWM), most of the

plastic waste is neither collected properly nor disposed of in an
appropriate manner to avoid its negative impacts on environment and
public health.
 On the other hand, plastic waste recycling can provide the solution in

o the most environmental friendly way.

o in an economically viable way, as it generates

resources of significant value.

 Some of the developed countries have already established commercial

level resource recovery from waste plastics.
Environmental Issues o n
D i s p o s a l of P l a s t i c
Wa s t e s
1 . PLASTIC POLLUTES B E A C H E S A N D O C E A N S

2 . PLASTIC LITTER THE L A N D S C A P E

3 . PLASTIC B A G S KILL ANIM ALS

4 . BURNI N G O F PLASTIC GENERATE TOXIC F U M E S

Carbon monoxide, chlorine, hydrochloric acid, dioxin, furans, amines,
nitrides, styrene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, CCl4 and acetaldehyde
Plastic Waste Management
WASTE IS A RESOURCE
IN A WRONG PLACE
I n t e g r a t e d S o l i d W a s t e M a n a g e m e n t (ISWM)
3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) principle
MSW-REDUCTION AT SOURCE

Source Reduction: Plastic soft-drink bottles in 1993 were 25 percent

lighter than in 1977. The weight of aluminium cans has been
reduced by 35 percent since 1965.
MSW-REDUCTION AT SOURCE
Waste Management St rat egi es
 Conventional technology
Plastic Recycling
Plastic recycling refers to the process of recovering waste or scrap
plastic and reprocessing it into useful products.
W h a t a r e t h e Common R e c y c l e d P l a s t i c s ?
 Before any plastic waste is recycled, it needs to go
through five different stages so that it can be
further used for making various types of products.
Stages in Sorting: It is necessary that
Plastic every plastic item is separated according to its make
and type so that it can be processed accordingly in
Recycling the shredding machine.
Washing: Once the sorting has
been done, the plastic waste needs to be washed
properly to remove impurities such as labels and
adhesives. This enhances the quality of the finished
product.
Shredding: After washing, the
plastic waste is loaded into different conveyer belts
that run the waste through the different shredders.
These shredders tear up the plastic into small
pellets, preparing them for recycling into other
products.
Identification and Classification
of Plastic: After shredding, a proper testing of the
plastic pellets is conducted in order to ascertain
their quality and class.
Extruding: This involves melting
the shredded plastic so that it can be extruded into
pellets, which are then used for making different
types of plastic products.
MAKING OF PELLETS

After the melting process, the plastic pieces are then

compressed into tiny pellets and become ready for reuse or
be redesigned into new useful plastic products.
Applications of Plastic Recycled Flakes/Granules

Lesser value addition

 Box strapping

 Twine

 Rope

 Barsati film

 Garbage bags

24
2 nd C o n v e n t i o n a l
technology

Landfilling
Landfill is the conventional approach to waste management,
but space for landfills is becoming scarce in some countries.
In a landfill, (with portions of MSW), as waste breaks
down methane is generated. This gas can be recovered and
used to generate electricity.
Plastic waste creates an eternal problem as plastic products
synthesized from petroleum are not biodegradable.
 For this reason, plastic waste remains in landfills, without
breaking down or changing composition.
3 r d
Conventional
technology
Incineration
Incineration reduces the need
for landfill of plastics waste,
however, there are concerns
that hazardous substances may
be released into the
atmosphere in the process.
Incineration can be used with
recovery of some of the energy
content in the plastic.
MSW-INCINERATION

Waste to Energy: Municipal trash can be burned to produce heat

and electricity. This refuse pit is used to feed hoppers of high-
temperature furnaces.
MSW-INCINERATION

A trash incineration plant, Detroit, Michigan

MSW-DISPOSAL (EXPORT)

The cargo ship Khian Sea, loaded with incinerator ash from
Philadelphia, is approached by a boat carrying members of the
American Bureau of Shipping ( a private inspection service) as it
lies at anchor off Big Stone Beach, Delaware.
MSW-DISPOSAL (EXPORT)

Wandering Garbage : In 1987, a barge filled with garbage similar to

this barge traveled from New York to Mexico looking for a place to
dispose of its cargo. This practice of shipping unwanted garbage to
other countries continues today throughout the world.
 When the plastics are disposed off to
landfill/sewage/marine water, they do not degrade or
biodegrade
 Incineration is not successful for plastic wastes on a big
scale now a days, because of environmental concerns.

 Eco-friendly as an alternative is required, the plastics have

to be regarded as;

- resources to be re-used
- or biodegraded at the end of their service life.
in order to mitigate their negative environmental impact.
Types of biodegradable plastics.

Plastic Type Name Abbreviation Description Uses

Polyesters Polyglycolic acid PGA Hydrolyzable polyhydroxy acid Specialized applications; controlled drug
releases; implantable composites;

Polylactic acid PLA Hydrolyzable polyhydroxy acid; polymers derived from Packaging and paper coatings; other
fermenting crops and dairy products; compostable possible markets include sustained release
systems for pesticides and fertilizers,
mulch films, and compost bags
Polycaprolactone PCL Hydrolyzable; low softening and melting points; Long term items; mulch and other
compostable; long time to degrade agricultural films; fibers containing
herbicides to control aquatic weeds;
seedling containers; slow release systems
for drugs
Polyhydroxybutyrate PHB Hydrolyzable; produced as storage material by
microorganisms; possibly degrades in aerobic and *
anaerobic conditions; stiff; brittle; poor solvent
resistance
Polyhydroxyvalerate PHBV Hydrolyzable copolymers; processed similar to PHB; Films and paper coating; other possible
contains a substance to increase degradability, melting markets include biomedical applications,
point, and toughness; compostable; low volume and therapeutic delivery of worm medicine for
costly production cattle, and sustained release systems for
pharmaceutical drugs and insecticides
Vinyl Polyvinyl alcohol PVOH Water soluble; dissolves during composting Pachaging and bagging applications which
dissolve in water to release products such
as laundry detergent, pesticides, and
hospital washables
Polyvinyl acetate PVAC Water soluble; predecessor to PVOH; has shown no *
significant property loss during composting tests

Polyenlketone PEK Water soluble; derived from PVOH; possibly degrades *

in aerobic and anaerobic conditions
 Non-Traditional
Technology

C on s truction o f polymer (plastics)

c o a t e d bitumen r o a d
 Plastic Waste for making Roads

1. More than one lakh km of roads using discarded plastics

already built in our country, in atleast 11 states.

2. Since 2015 mandatory to do so.

3. These roads made from waste plastic are more durable

against extreme weather conditions like floods and heat as
compared to the conventional roads. No potholes or cracks.

4. Using plastic waste can help India, which has the world’s
second largest road network, in curbing road accidents
deaths. Potholes, a common feature of roads in India, are
responsible for one tenth of deaths that occurred in 2017 due
to road accidents in the country.
Process
 Non-Traditional
Technology

C o - p r o c e s s i n g in c e m e n t k i l n s
and cement composites
Co-processing of plastic waste as an
alternative Fuel and Raw Material (AFR).
o Co-processing indicate substitution of
primary fuel and raw material by plastic
waste – mainly non-recyclable.
o The ash (remember ash carrying ship)
can be used as a filler in cement
production.
Use of waste plastics in cement composites

Sand typically comprises 30 per cent of any concrete

mixture. By replacing 10 per cent of that sand with
finely ground plastic particles, a study by Bath team
from UK (December 2018), estimates that over 800
million tonnes of sand could be saved.
 Non-Traditional
Technology

Liquid f u e l Liquid Fuels

 Conversion of Plastics Waste into liquid fuel.
o The entire process is undertaken in closed reactor vessel
followed by condensation, if required.
o Waste plastics while heating up to 700-1000◦C, in an
inert atmosphere, convert into liquid-vapour state,
which is collected in condensation chamber
in the form of liquid fuel.
o The tarry liquid waste is topped-down from the heating
reactor vessel.
o The organic gas is generated which can be used in dual
fuel diesel generator set for generation of electricity.
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT
IN INDIA
Plastic
consumption S.No. Year Consumption (Tons)
in India
1. 1996 61,000

2. 2000 3,00,000

3. 2001 4,00,000

4. 2007 85,00,000

5. 2018 165,00,000

According to industry body FICCI, 43 per cent of India's

plastics are used in packaging and worse, are single-use
plastic.
Some Facts
 Municipal solid waste in India contain 1-4 per cent by
weight of plastic waste.

 Plastic waste is recycled in India in an “unorganized” way.

60% of the plastic-waste collected and segregated gets
recycled back into materials for further processing into
consumer products.

 India’s rate of recycling of plastic waste is the highest

(60%) in the world as compared to other countries (China
10%, Europe 7%, Japan 12%, South Africa 16%, USA
10%).
 Conclusions and Recommendations

 Plastics have pervaded all walks of life.

 Volume and complexity of plastic waste
is rising.
 Their non-biodegradable nature is
creating environmental problems.

 First we must accept that there is a

problem and together we all are
responsible for the same.

 SO We (industry, government, society,

individuals …) Should Do These ……..
 Conclusions and Recommendations contd.

 Life style changes, reduction at source,

recycling and resource recovery are
essential.
 There is need to promote use of
degradable plastics.
 % of single use plastics needs to come
down- Boost from Govt. recent policy
(ALREADY DONE!!!!).
 Phase out non-recyclable plastics.
 Plastics in roads and construction.
 Govt. and Industry to invest more in R&D
of newer, multifunctional and readily
 Special thanks to:
1. My mentor: Professor S. N. Upadhyay,
IIT-BHU

2. Various sources from internet!

3. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

by Dr. Pawan Sikka Department of Science &
Technology, Government of India