Research Methologies

Submitted By:

Krutik V. Patel Fenil Bharawad
Subject

Research Methodology
Term Paper Recycling of Plastics Submitted to:

Mr. Sreekant Iyengar

20 December 2012

RECYCLING OF PLASTICS

INTRODUCTION In the coming years and into the 21st century, plastics gained further importance in life. Both consumers and industrial users expand their demand for plastics, both in terms of quantity and quality. The coming decade is a crucial period for the plastics industry in meeting this demand. At the same time, the rapidly increasing waste burden of plastics has to be minimized. At present, around 50 to 60 percent of waste plastics is left uncollected or is dumped in an uncontrolled manner on land, in rivers or in the sea. This requires intense efforts on the part of the waste management sectors as well as the plastics recycling industry. The recycling sector can reduce the burden of solid waste by creating a market for recovered materials and simultaneously narrowing the gap between the demand and supply of plastic resources. For several years, debate has wide spread about the plastic PVC. Industry and pursue a ban; industry aims to improve its environmental performance and believes there is no reason for taking such measures against their material.

LITERATURE REVIEW A variety of strategy books provide useful information needed to develop a business plan strategy for an entrant in a mature market. Robert Grant, in his book published in 2005, “Contemporary Strategy Analysis”, believes that “strategy is about winning”. Creating a strategy is a key factor to a business’ success. His book, through a theoretical and practical approach, offers tools for identifying factors that determine the success of a business. It provides a useful framework for an industry analysis and 8 competitive advantage analyses. Grant also offers a valuable insight into diversification strategies and organizational models. Besanko, Dranove, Shanley and Shaefer, in their book “Economics of Strategy”, published in 2007, provide steps to perform an industry analysis. The five force framework will be used to do the industry analysis. Each of the five forces will create major threats to the business profits.

In 2005, Canada stood out as an excellent nation in the recycling industry in comparison to the US. It was focused on having a foundation of a producer responsibility model that forces packagers to pay for a fair amount of municipal recycling programs, which displayed much innovation in the sector. Ontario’s government has been building more of recycling costs “into the product and requires packaging companies to pay 50 percent of the price tag to support recycling programs in 2005” (Toloken, 2005). From a 16 percent recycling rate in 2003, five years later, Ontario has managed to raise the rate to 38 percent (Gillespie, 2008). However, the province’s goal three years ago was to reach 60 percent (Toloken, 2005). This has proven to be more difficult than it seemed. (BIKAW). Case Study: Mumbai’s Experience with the Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999 The Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage Rule of 1999 was the first central government rule on plastic waste in India. It was passed to control the packaging of food products in recycled plastics and to manage the littering problem. The objective of the Rule was supposedly to protect human health from the risk of coloured plastic bags and to minimize the littering problem by encouraging reuse and recycling of polybags. The Rule was based on the recommendations of the Plastic Waste Management Task Force [3]. There were three main specifications in the Rule:    The use of recycled and virgin coloured polybags for non-food applications was allowed but for packaging food items was discouraged All carry bags of size less than 20 microns were banned The guidelines for the recycling of plastics were made mandatory

The impact of the Recycling Rule on the city of Mumbai can be understood fully by examining the table 4 below. The table presents the effectiveness of the Rule in handling key issues of concern of polybags. It is pretty evident that various critical issues were not be addressed by the Rule despite its effective enforcement. [4]

Table: Impact of Recycling Rule in Mumbai City Has the Union legislation managed to address the following problems No No No No No No No Yes to a limited extent to move from coloured plastic bags to colourless plastic bags No

Critical Issues Choked Drains Choked Soil Dying Animals Decreased health risk to the citizens by dyes and pigments Improve collection and disposal of polybags Improve recycling practices Encouraging substitutes to Polybags Increase awareness of the Citizens Increased reuse of the polybags by the citizens

Source: Analyzing Plastic Waste Management in India—Case study of Polybags and PET bottles, Narayan, P. (2001) (P, 2001)

BACKGROUND READING Plastics are significant and make a positive contribution with regards to packaging in various ways. Plastic bottles, plastic tubs, and plastic bags all have the potential to be recycled; however, what can or cannot be recycled depends on the municipalities. There are people, who are of the belief that recycling uses more energy than it saves. This was stated by a columnist, John Tierney, who had posted in a New York Times Magazine an article stating that “recycling is garbage.” “Mandatory recycling programs,” he wrote, “…offer mainly short-term benefits to a few groups - politicians, environmental organizations and waste handling corporations - while diverting money from genuine social and environmental problems. Recycling may be the most wasteful activity in modern America…” The

environmental groups were quick to point out the benefits of recycling, especially on the

assertions that recycling was doubling energy consumption and pollution, while costing taxpayers more money than disposing of plain old garbage. Municipal recycling programs they asserted do reduce pollution and the use of virgin resources, while decreasing the sheer amount of garbage and the need for landfill space. (BIKAW) Plastic waste is a major environmental and public health problem in India, particularly in the urban areas. Plastic shopping or carrier bags are one of the main sources of plastic waste in our country. Plastic bag wastes blocks drains and gutters, and are a threat to aquatic life when they find their way to water bodies, and can cause livestock deaths when the livestock consume them. Furthermore, when filled with rainwater, plastic bags become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which cause malaria. In addition, plastics take many years (20-1000) to degrade and hence pose a disposal challenge. We have become so familiar to the everywhere presence of plastic that it is difficult to imagine life when woods and metals were the primary materials used for consumer products. Plastic has become prevalent because it is inexpensive and it can be engineered with a wide range of properties. Plastics are strong but lightweight, resistant when degraded by chemicals, sunlight, and bacteria, and are thermally and electrically insulating. Plastics have become a critical material in the modern economy; the annual volume of plastics produced exceeds that volume of steel. The world 's annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tonnes today.

AIM / OBJECTIVES The main research problem is to study the impact of ban on plastics on its usage, environment and recycling industries. The objectives of plastic recycling are summarised below: 1. To determine the type, nature and estimated volumes of waste to be generated 2. To identify any environmental impacts from the generation of waste at the site 3. To recommend appropriate waste handling and disposal measures in accordance with the current legislative and administrative requirements 4. To categorise waste material for disposal considerations i.e. public filling areas / landfill.

5. Would it take more energy to recycle than to use new materials? 6. What is the environmental impact of landfills vs. recycling? Is it more expensive to re-process plastic vs. benefit for the environment? What is the short-term and longterm impact? LAW Ministry of Environment and Forests, India has given notification regarding Plastics – Its Manufacture, Usage and Waste Management. Conditions:  Carry bags either be white or made using only those pigments and colourants which are in conformity with Indian Standard: IS 9833:1981 titled as List of pigments and colourants for use in plastics in contact with foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and drinking water, as amended from time to time.

CONCLUSION
The use of plastic today is widespread and it minimizes the use of wood, metals etc., thus reducing the stress on natural resources. If plastics are not used with carefulness, it causes considerable environmental problems such as pollution and impacts on health and aesthetics. The management of plastic waste is difficult but an achievable possibility provided we simplify the collection and separation of plastics from other waste materials and subject it to recycling as far as possible. Along with this, considerable awareness has to be created to reuse the plastic materials as far as possible, reduce its use wherever possible and replace it with alternative materials such as clothes, jutes, paper etc.

REFERENCES 1. http://www.cwc.org/plastic/pl991rpt.pdf
2. bikaw, J. R. Plastic Recycling : Is It Worth It ? . At HABASCA UNIVERSITY.

3. Narayan, P. (2001). ―Analyzing Plastic Waste Management in India—Case study of Polybags and PET bottles‖ IIIEE Reports 2001, pp 37-49 accessed at http:// www. iiiee. lu. Se / information/ library/ publications/reports/2001/Priya-Narayan.pdf 4. The Report of the National Plastic Waste Management Task Force, Ministry Of Environment and Forests, Government of India, 1997

References: 1. http://www.cwc.org/plastic/pl991rpt.pdf 2. bikaw, J. R. Plastic Recycling : Is It Worth It ? . At HABASCA UNIVERSITY. 3. Narayan, P. (2001). ―Analyzing Plastic Waste Management in India—Case study of Polybags and PET bottles‖ IIIEE Reports 2001, pp 37-49 accessed at http:// www. iiiee. lu. Se / information/ library/ publications/reports/2001/Priya-Narayan.pdf 4. The Report of the National Plastic Waste Management Task Force, Ministry Of Environment and Forests, Government of India, 1997