CLEAN UP RECYCLING

Reduce / Reuse / Recycle

Introduction

Bottles -made of glass or plastic - are a necessary part of our lives, beginning almost at birth with the milk bottles a baby drinks from. Plastic water bottles have invaded the market in India, as a replacement for conventional glass bottles..

PET is used as a raw material for making packaging materials such as bottles and containers for packaging a wide range of food products and other consumer goods. Examples include soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and edible oils. PET is one of the most common consumer plastics used.

The empty PET packaging is discarded by the consumer after use and becomes PET waste. We will treat the post-consumer PET by recycling it to manufacture “PET flakes". PET flakes are used as the raw material for a range of products that would otherwise be made of polyester. Examples include polyester fibers (a base material for the production of clothing, pillows, carpets, etc), polyester sheets, strapping, packaging for detergents, cosmetics, car spare parts.

Only, around 50 per cent of current consumption of 6000 tons of plastic bottles used is available for recycling. Statistics reveal that in UP the total amount of PET bottles generated is about 500 tons per month, with an appalling more than 100 tons being generated from Kanpur alone.

Mission Statement

Clean Up Recycling is a manufacturing company dedicated to converting waste plastic materials into commercially viable products, utilizing environmental friendly recycling and manufacturing methods. We intend to make enough profit to generate a significant return and to finance continued growth and continued development in quality products. We will also maintain a friendly, fair, and creative work environment, which respects diversity, new ideas and hard work.

Our Objectives

To be pioneer in the manufacture of quality chip making industry in Kanpur.

To be part of Clean Environment Campaign by recycling PET bottles.

Reduce/stop use of unauthorized recycling of PET bottles.

Give a platform to rag pickers for their upliftment and improve their quality of life.(20% profit will be ploughed back in the capital for this social cause)

Stop use of child labour.

Technical Analysis

The process involves the following steps:-

(a) Collection of bottles.

(b) Sorting.

(c) Grinding.

(d) Washing.

(e) Drying.

(f) Extrusion.

(g) Crystallization.

A complete PET recycling line is required. The technical specification of the machine is:-

(a) Capacity - 500kg/h.

(b) Power - 25 KVA

(c) Voltage - 220-230 - 50Hz

Raw Material

The post-consumer bottle stock (raw material) will be collected from railway stations, public places viz. malls, cinema halls, parks, bus stations, hotels and restaurants. Rag pickers and scavengers will be involved for collection of the same. Rag pickers in uniform with identity card will be organized in Self Help Groups of five persons with a cart for collecting bottles from public places and individual localities.

Rs 5-6 per kg Rs 8-10 per kg

Rs 12-15 per kg Rs 12-15 per kg

Rs 38-40 per kg Rs 20-25 per kg

Product Description

Consumers Rag pickers Small kabadiwala

Big kabadiwala

Clean Up Recycling

Recyclers

Small chips will be manufactured from the recycled PET bottles which will be marketed to automotive and household industries. The product will be extruded from post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.  Using a patented process, we will clean and refine the PET material from the post-consumer bottle stock and post-industrial manufacturing waste.

Market Analysis

Strong demand for recycled plastics is envisaged.  Major users of plastic packaging, have begun incorporating recycled plastic content in their products as part of the growing interest in recycling.  In volume, PET is currently the number one recycled resin. Supply of recycled PET in India is in excess of 6000 tons per year. This figure is expected to grow, by 50% during the next few years.  While half of them end up being reused at home, others find themselves in the waste stream. Considering the average weight of 27 Gm per bottle, 12000 tons of pet would amount to 460 million bottles going waste that largely remain uncollected and unsold? However, Markets and uses for recycled plastics are rapidly expanding. Recycled PET plastic is being increasingly used in automotive industry for car interiors, household industry for manufacturing synthetic carpets, plastic furniture, pallets; major outdoor clothing companies are manufacturing “recycled garments” and are introducing new ranges. A “recycled” fleece jacket uses 25 PET bottles! Polyester fibers are being engineered to provide the same qualities as upholstery foams. 35%-recycled content has been introduced to these advanced hollow “conjugated” polyester fibers. Egg cartons and other “formed containers” account for some 8% of recycled PET usage. PET containers for toiletries and household products are being introduced in growing quantities. In some cases the recovered PET is added into the packaging as a sandwich layer, between two layers of virgin polymer. This is known as “multi layer” technology.

The future of PET recycling is brighter than it has been in the past.  More plastics will be recycled annually than any other recyclable material. 

As of today, the recycling of pet bottles is undertaken by some units in Chennai, Gajraula, Faridabad and Mumbai, as per Indian Association of Pet Manufacturers (IAPM). These units have a capacity of 75,000 tons per annum but as of today they are running at 40 per cent of their installed capacity and on imported raw material from USA, so the market is large

with few suppliers. The product will be marketed in the domestic and international market in the ratio of 40% and 60% initially which will be changed to 30% and 70% after three yrs.

Human Resources Planning

A total of nine employees will be hired initially to run the automatic recycling line in the plant which will include one supervisor, five semi skilled labours, one marketing supervisor, one clerk cum accountant and one peon. Security of the plant, building and machinery will be outsourced. The number of employees will be increased to 15 in the second year and 25 in the third year. All HR policy norms will be adhered to by the company.

Potential Problem Analysis

Unavailability or Scarce Raw Material Feed Stock For Production. We are confident that good availability of low cost post-consumer PET bottles (feed stock) is available for which 35 scrap dealers have been identified to serve as collection centres. They will store the post-consumer bottle stock. A stainless steel compactor which can crush and flatten the bottles and thereby reducing its volume will be provided to them to store large quantity in a small place.

The Location May Not Be Near Enough To Markets. The markets that have been identified are primarily in the Northern and Central parts of India and international markets in US and European countries which will provide a distinct advantage to the Company because of freight costs and delivery timing.

Company May Not Meet Environmental Standards. This environment friendly venture provides for the development of technically feasible and economically viable solution to PET plastic beverage bottle recycling. The environmentally aware management has plans to use the technology of in-house re-use practice which filter and return nearly all of the process water to the production lines.

 

Project Benefits

The notable benefits accruing from the project are:-

(a) To strengthen the capacity to recycle plastic waste in Kanpur.

(b) To reduce environmental impacts associated with pollution from new plastics production and incineration of plastic waste and pressure on limited landfill space, and

(c) Environmental Benefits

(i) Approximately 360 tons of plastic waste per year will be removed from the solid waste in the first year at 30% capacity which will increase to 600 tons in second year at 50% and 840 tons in the third year at 70% capacities.

(ii) Within five years, it is predicted that a total of 1,000 tons of plastic material per year will be diverted from the landfills throughout Kanpur.

(iii) There will be less demand for newly manufactured plastics as recycled sources of plastic are collected and processed for re-use. This reduces industrial activity that contributes to air pollution as well as reducing pressure on landfills.

(iv) Plastics generally do not degrade in the landfill and the incineration of plastic produces air pollution with particularly noxious particulates. Landfills while necessary are an environmental blight. Diverting waste from landfills and avoiding incineration of plastic waste reduces the need for landfills and alleviates air pollution problems.

(d) Social Benefits

(i) We aim to reduce /stop unauthorized use of PET bottles for recycling.

(ii) PET bottles have become a big menace in the society this project will reduce environment pollution in Kanpur and also indirectly help in CLEAN GANGA Project.

(ii) A platform will be provided to rag pickers for their upliftment and improve in their quality of life. Wherein they will be organized and provided with better returns, opening of bank accounts with zero balance, health insurance of Rs 30,000/- per individual, free education in the evening to include personal and community hygiene. The aim is to ultimately wean away Child Labor from this line.

LCA Conclusion• Recycling 1 tonne of Plasticbottles saves(on average):• 1.5 tonnes of CO(vs landfill or incineration)

What people see in their binsPackaging by material : UnitsPlastics packaging double all the others combined

Source: WRAP