Plastic consist of around 20% of the total municipal solid waste in our country, this is because of increased plastic consumption these days. The plastic solid waste being non-biodegradable have posed serious issues. Also, the by products generated due to combustion of coal produces fly ash, which poses a major threat to the land and air resources.
Back in the year 2018, Shayna Ecounified India , a group of young entrepreneurs had come together for the purpose of waste management. They received much appreciation for their innovative idea, who made it possible to convert space consuming garbage waste into something architecturally attractive ,by producing cost-effective plastic tiles. They came with a feasible solution of “Clean and Green” to deal with the stacking mountains of rubbish, by promoting Recycle and Reuse .Being the first ones to receive permission from CSIR-NPL , they’ve come up with a technology to recycle plastic waste. Plastic bags and plastic bottle are some of the most common litter forms. Many companies have recently started even the recycling of plastic bags ,since earlier softer plastic material were not used. These plastic waste accounts for nearly 70% of the air pollution, and 50% of the water pollution.
The Process
The process is a six step long process. It starts with the NGOs and the rag pickers collecting the waste and moving it to the power plants. There the waste is cleaned and sorted according to various types and colours, followed by shredding into small parts. Special equipment is used to separate the plastic resin by various types, used for melting and moulding to new shapes. The waste is then compressed , making the plastic pellet ready to be mixed with fillers. The mixture then becomes ready into anti-microbial, durable tiles. Such tiles are expensive and requires expensive equipment.
The best part about such tiles are that they ‘re made up of fly ash, sand. These tiles are anti-microbial , has a heat capacity of 140 degree Celsius, and a loading capacity of 20 tonnes. Such tiles are available in different colours, and can be recycled every 5 years.
In Bangalore, an NGO had began production of plastic tiles named, “Re-named tiles” . These tiles are fire resistant- and has a heat resistant capacity of up to 150 degree Celsius. It can carry loads up to 35 tonnes. It is non-porous, durable and immune to any type of chemical, which makes it’s life longer. On a average, around 3-4 tonnes of plastic garbage is broken down to produce 10000 tiles per day. This garbage waste may include items like milk bottles, disposable containers from restaurants , shampoo bottles, etc. The plastic tiles are priced around Rs.70-90 per square feet. Even after all this initiatives ,still people are unaware of the urgent need to prevent our environment from deteriorating further .People even now prefer expensive Italian tiles over these eco-friendly affordable plastic tiles available in various colours. So, as individuals it is our duty towards our Mother Earth to not just dump waste , but instead approach such organizations and do our little bit towards saving the environment
