Waste management: Everything you should know about waste!

In our daily life, we purchase things and after using it, we throw it away in the dustbin and forget about it. Have you ever noticed what happens to the waste you throw away in the dustbin?

In the most conventional way, the waste from the bin is being taken by the municipal body responsible for waste management. The waste is then taken away to the nearest waste processing plant in the truck where the most of the recyclable things are taken out. It gets sorted in basic forms as much as it could with the help of machines.

A truck collecting household waste

Rest of the waste is then again taken to another processing plant when it gets compressed and the compressed waste is then sent to the landfills where it would be dumped for years. If it is the waste which does not contain any plastics or non-biodegradable things, it would degrade and the land can again be used for dumping waste. But if the waste contains plastic and nonbiodegradable, it would prevent other wastes from being degraded and will accumulate the space for years. This is how most of the landfills today are full of waste. 

Landfilling is the most common waste management practice done by most of the states and countries all over the world. But, it is not the only waste management method as we'd discuss some more methods which are being used to manage the waste we generate daily.

A typical landfill

Incineration:

Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas and heat. The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas. The flue gases must be cleaned of gaseous and particulate pollutants before they are dispersed into the atmosphere. In some cases, the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power.

Incineration centre

Incinerators reduce the solid mass of the original waste by 80–85% and the volume (already compressed somewhat in garbage trucks) by 95–96%, depending on composition and degree of recovery of materials such as metals from the ash for recycling. This means that while incineration does not completely replace landfilling, it significantly reduces the necessary volume for disposal.

Recovery and recycling:

Recovery is the process of recovering the material which can be useful from the thrown away waste. Things like the metal waste, battery, alloys and electrical waste can be easily recovered. Paper waste is also one of the most recovered waste.

Recycling is creating the same or different stuff out of the recovered material which can be used afterwards. The rate of metal recycling is the highest in the world as around 95%. Second, comes the paper waste accounting around 70%.  But still, stuff like plastic requires more recycling as they are affecting the environment in very bad manner. Recycling saves billions of dollars every year and helps the environment. 

Plasma Gasification:

Plasma gasification is another form of waste management. Plasma is a primarily an electrically charged or a highly ionized gas. Lighting is one type of plasma which produces temperatures that exceed 12,600 °F. With this method of waste disposal, a vessel uses characteristic plasma torches operating at +10,000 °F which is creating a gasification zone till 3,000 °F for the conversion of solid or liquid wastes into a syngas.

Plasma gasification

During the treatment of solid waste by plasma gasification, the waste’s molecular bonds are broken down as result of the intense heat in the vessels and the elemental components. Thanks to this process, destruction of waste and dangerous materials are found. This form of waste disposal provides renewable energy and an assortment of other fantastic benefits.

Composting:

Composting is a process for converting decomposable organic materials into useful stable products. Therefore, valuable landfill space can be used for other wastes by composting these materials rather than dumping them on landfills.

Food waste being compost

On many farms, the basic composting ingredients are animal manure generated on the farm and bedding. Straw and sawdust are common bedding materials. Non-traditional bedding materials are also used, including newspaper and chopped cardboard. The amount of manure composted on a livestock farm is often determined by cleaning schedules, land availability, and weather conditions. Each type of manure has its own physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Cattle and horse manures, when mixed with bedding, possess good qualities for composting.

Waste to energy:

Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste. WtE is a form of energy recovery. Most WtE processes produce electricity and/or heat directly through combustion, or produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels.  

Waste to energy

Avoidance/Waste Minimization:

Waste minimisation is a process of elimination that involves reducing the amount of waste produced in society and helps to eliminate the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, supporting the efforts to promote a more sustainable society. Waste minimisation involves redesigning products and/or changing societal patterns, concerning consumption and production, of waste generation, to prevent the creation of waste.

Waste minimization

The most environmentally resourceful, economically efficient, and cost-effective way to manage waste is to not have to address the problem in the first place. Waste minimisation should be seen as a primary focus for most waste management strategies. Proper waste management can require a significant amount of time and resources; therefore, it is important to understand the benefits of waste minimisation and how it can be implemented in all sectors of the economy, in an effective, safe and sustainable manner.

Downgauging:

Reducing the amount of packaging used per item will reduce waste volumes. Economics dictate that most manufacturers will already use close to the minimum required material necessary for a given application.

This principle is, however, offset against aesthetics, convenience and marketing benefits that can lead to over-use of packaging, as well as the effect of existing investment in tooling and production process, which can also result in the excessive packaging of some products.

Keep recycling and save the earth from being the garbage plantet!

Marine life and plastic pollution

Two months ago, people in Versova, Mumbai were celebrating because their efforts for about two years have now born some fruits. Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings spotted after cleanup of Versova beach by Afroz Shah and volunteers. It was a very proud moment for the group as well as the other people living there.

Olive ridley turtle on Versova beach, Mumbai

No one witnessed these turtles over past few years on the beach as it was very dirty and polluted. But, their showing up on the beach definitely mean the positive action of the beach cleanup that is happening on the beach from past 2 years every weekend. But, why would we need the beach clean up in the first place?

Afroz shah cleaning up the litter on his weekly clean up

Marine litter is the result why the beach looked awful and dirty back two years ago. But thanks to Afroz Shah and his volunteers. But sadly, other beaches in Mumbai and other cities on the shores don't get beach cleanups. In fact, they are so overly polluted and littered that people have stopped visiting them. India has some of the most polluted waterways and beaches in the world due to rapid, unplanned urbanisation, overpopulation and neglectful attitudes, including to public littering.

What is marine litter?

Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally been released in a lake, sea, ocean or waterway. Floating oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the centre of gyres and on coastlines, frequently washing aground, when it is known as beach litter or tidewrack.

Marine debris floating in oceans

Types of debris

• Fishing nets left or lost in the ocean by fishermen – ghost nets – can entangle fish, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, dugongs, crocodiles, seabirds, crabs and other creatures. These nets restrict movement, causing starvation, laceration and infection, and, in animals that breathe air, suffocation. 
• 8.8 million metric tons of plastic waste is dumped in the world's oceans each year. Asia was the leading source of mismanaged plastic waste, with China alone accounting for 2.4 million metric tons. Eighty percent of marine debris is plastic. Plastics accumulate because they typically do not biodegrade as many other substances do.
• Nurdles, also known as "mermaids' tears", are plastic pellets, typically under five millimetres in diameter, that are a major component of marine debris.
• Litter, made from diverse materials that are denser than surface water (such as glasses, metals and some plastics), have been found to spread over the floor of seas and open oceans, where it can become entangled in corals and interfere with other sea-floor life, or even become buried under sediment, making clean-up extremely difficult, especially due to the wide area of its dispersal compared to shipwrecks. 

A turtle caught in the abandoned fishing net

Plastic debris from inland states come from two main sources: ordinary litter and materials from open dumps and landfills that blow or wash away to inland waterways and wastewater outflows. The refuse finds its way from inland waterways, rivers, streams and lakes to the ocean. Though ocean and coastal area cleanups are important, it is crucial to address plastic waste that originates from inland and landlocked states.

How marine life is affected by this?

Many animals that live on or in the sea consume flotsam by mistake, as it often looks similar to their natural prey. Bulky plastic debris may become permanently lodged in the digestive tracts of these animals, blocking the passage of food and causing death through starvation or infection. Tiny floating plastic particles also resemble zooplankton, which can lead filter feeders to consume them and cause them to enter the ocean food chain. 

Turtle died because of starvation as it couldn't move out of the net

Plastic waste has reached all the world's oceans. This plastic pollution harms an estimated 100,000 sea turtles and marine mammals and 1,000,000 sea creatures each year. Larger plastics such as plastic shopping bags can clog the digestive tracts of these larger animals when consumed by them and can cause starvation through restricting the movement of food, or by filling the stomach and tricking the animal into thinking it is full.

Birds mistook the plastic waste as their food

How can you help?

One of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to help reduce the amount of plastic entering our oceans is to not participate in using single-use plastics, avoid plastic bottled drinks such as water bottles, use reusable shopping bags, and to buy products with reusable packaging.

A poster trying to raise awareness about balloons

Other ways to help are as follows:

• Reduce usage of single-use plastics such as plastic bags, straws, water bottles, utensils and coffee cups by replacing them with reusable products such as reusable bags, metal straws, reusable water bottles, bamboo toothbrushes and reusable coffee cups
• Avoid microbeads, which are found in face scrubs, toothpaste and body washes
• Participate in a river or lake beach clean up
• Support municipality bans and other legislation regulating single-use plastics and plastic waste
• Continue to recycle, recycle, recycle

 
 

Biodegrable plastics and Bioplastics: Things you should know!

All of us know that nowadays, Plastic materials are being the headache for the everyone including the waste management companies and agencies. It would be wrong to say that we should ban the complete use of plastics as plastics have versatile nature. They can be elastic, they can be made strong and can be moulded into almost any shape. Since we do not have the suitable alternative to the plastics, all we can do is to reduce the use of plastics in our life as well as try not to buy any more plastic unless and until it is the must.

Scientists and researchers have been working on finding the alternative for the plastic materials and few have gained fruitful results as well. We'll discuss more this in the next section.

1. Biodegradable plastics:

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that are decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually bacteria. Two basic classes of biodegradable plastics exist. Bioplastics, whose components are derived from renewable raw materials, and plastics made from petrochemicals containing biodegradable additives which enhance biodegradation. However, biodegradable plastics also have the potential to complicate waste management when introduced without appropriate technical attributes, handling systems and consumer education. In addition, it is clear that there could be significant issues in sourcing sufficient biomass to replace a large proportion of the current consumption of polymers.

Some modes of degradation require that the plastic is exposed at the surface (aerobic), whereas other modes will only be effective if certain conditions exist in the landfill or composting systems (anaerobic).

Some companies produce biodegradable additives, to enhance biodegradation. Plastic can have starch powder added as a filler to allow it to degrade more easily, but this still does not lead to the complete breaking down of the plastic.

Some researchers have genetically engineered bacteria to synthesize completely biodegradable plastics, such as Biopol; however, these are expensive at present.

Biodegradable plastics can be a great option for the regular plastic but still, they are very expensive and their cost should be lower down for their extensive use in the daily life.

Do not confuse the biodegradable with compostables. Biodegradable plastics means these can be degradable completely with the help of microbes or bacteria. Other ways include direct sunlight or high-frequency radiations which breaks down these plastics into carbon dioxide and water. But there are varieties of biodegradable plastics are available in the market and each of them takes different time period to degrade. When used in plastic bags, this can be very useful to fight landfilling and littered plastics. Although, they are much costlier at this stage. Hopefully, innovations will not stop here and the cost will reduce further.

Bioplastics, on the other hand, are made from renewable raw materials and biomass resources like vegetable fats and oils, corn starch etc. They can also be made from agro by-products and can be from recycled plastics. Keep in mind that they can or can not be biodegradable. These can be used for many products like cups, pots, bowls, etc. The performance and the cost are the two main things that are preventing bioplastics from replacing vast applications of plastics.

Bioplastics are used for disposable items, such as packaging, crockery, cutlery, pots, bowls, and straws. In principle they could replace many applications for petroleum-derived plastics, however, cost and performance remain problematic.

The environmental impact of bioplastics is often debated, as there are many different metrics for "greenness" and tradeoffs often exist. The debate is also complicated by the fact that many different types of bioplastics exist, each with different environmental strengths and weaknesses, so not all bioplastics can be treated as equal.

Use of biodegradable plastics and Bioplastics can help reduce the pollution caused by the plastic. It can be easily degraded and can solve the issue of landfills. Also, the energy used to make these biodegradable plastics is less than the energy used to make new plastics based on fossil fuel. This will save energy on the larger scale. It is desirable that compostable and degradable plastics are appropriately labelled and used in ways that complement, rather than compromise waste-management schemes.

Source Segregation: Why is it so important for waste management?

Imagine a scenario where you have a lot of trash in your house. As most of the people do, you too would pack the waste in the black bag and toss it into the garbage truck. This is the most common scenario each of us sees in our daily life. Have you ever thought of what happened to the waste you just dumped into the garbage truck and get rid of it?

As most of the waste management companies do, the waste is first segregated with the help of machines. Metal scrap and other solid waste are separated using mechanical machines and rest of the waste are compressed and thrown into landfills. If the waste got lucky and have the considerable amount of calorific value, it may reach to the incineration centre where it is burned down to get energy. But, this burning also releases harmful gases, ash and other effluents.

Besides all these, the waste which had value no longer can serve its true purpose and lost its own properties. Food waste and gardening waste can be used to make compost but with plastic and metal waste, it would take decades to decompose. This makes waste management real hard.

What is the solution?
 

From last few years, people are becoming aware of waste and waste management. They are protesting against plastic waste, use of unwanted materials and pollution. One of the very effective methods that come into practice is "Source Segregation". Countries like South Korea, Germany, Italy, Singapore are already practising the waste sorting and have been able to reduce the waste by very great number. Recently, in 2016, the Indian government has passed the new Waste Management Rules 2016 which states that it is compulsory for everyone to segregate waste as dry and wet waste before tossing it into the garbage truck.

Waste sorting is the process by which waste is separated into different elements. Waste sorting can occur manually at the household and collected through curbside collection schemes, or automatically separated in materials recovery facilities or mechanical biological treatment systems. Hand sorting was the first method used in the history of waste sorting.

Waste segregation means dividing waste into dry and wet. Dry waste includes wood and related products, metals and glass. Wet waste, typically refers to organic waste usually generated by eating establishments and are heavy in weight due to dampness. Waste can also be segregated on basis of biodegradable or non-biodegradable waste.

Source segregation can help prevent up to 80% of the waste from being dumped into landfills. Most of India's landfills are overflowing already and it is estimated that by 2030, India would be in need of the landfill of the size of Banglore city. This shows that how badly we need the source segregation.

By segregating waste, we can not only save the landfills from being full but can also utilize the other waste properly and can get monetary value for it. This will ensure that waste is recycled and treated properly and only the inert material is thrown into the landfills.

Waste segregation is not only necessary for ourselves, it is a must for environmental concerns as well. Also, it would make the waste management very effective. It is not just the rule to follow but it is our moral responsibility to maintain and improve the quality of the environment and to preserve it for the future generation.

The 4R Principle and its implementation

Hello, everyone!

In social media handles of Recycler India, you'd have got enough knowledge about the 4R Principle. Right? Let's go little further where I would explain little more about every R. But, before we move further, it is necessary t rewind what is 4R Principle and what other stands for.

The 4R principle is nothing but the revision of 3R which are in practice since long ago to fight plastic pollution. These three Rs are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The fourth R comes into practice is Refuse. Let's go into little brief here.

1. Reduce -  Reduce the waste you generate. Reduce the resources you are using. By doing so, you would save the money as well nature.

2. Reuse - Reusing has its root back in history where people have used one thing or other for different purposes to get full benefits from the product instead of throwing it off.

3. Recycle -  Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal. Unlike reusing where you use old stuff for the same purpose and in the same condition, recycling is little different as it often includes the material to go through a process and make some different products. There are two different kinds of approaches are there regarding the recycling known as upcycling and downcycling. Upcycling is the process by which waste materials are used to provide new, high-quality products. Upcycling is the process by which waste materials are used to provide new, high-quality products. Downcycling is a type of recycling where the original product is broken down into parts and made into something new, but loses some of its original quality in the process and is often made into a product of lesser quality.

4. Refuse -  More often, we come across many products which we can't reuse or recycle. That's where we are said to refuse it. Many awareness campaigns and social media campaigns against some harmful products use Refuse to show their tolerance. Interestingly, this World Environment Day's theme is "Beat Plastic Pollution" and the tagline is "If you can't reuse it, refuse it". This shows the importance of this R.

How to implement this 4R in your daily routine?

 No one alone can beat plastic pollution and global warming. For that, everyone needs to contribute their part to the environment and this starts from your home, your daily routine. Follow this simple rules in your daily life:

1. Do not buy bottled water unless there is no option.

2. Do not ask for polythene bags, instead use your own cloth bag for groceries and vegetables.

3. Say no to straw. You may find it useful but when it goes to landfills/oceans, it kills others.

4. Segregate waste at home and dispose of them accordingly.

5. Stop buying things with excessive packaging.

6. Do not throw E-waste in the solid waste container.

7. Use reusable water bottle.

8. Use your own coffee mug and refuse plastic cups.

9. Buy less, choose well.

10. Ask local bodies for multiple bins for source segregation.

11. Participate actively in recycling awareness programs.

Keep recycling :)

Types of plastics and general introduction.

In the last post, we have learned about plastics and their classification based on their reaction to heat treatement. The main two types were thermoplastics and thermoetting polymers. Let's continue it further.

We use vast numbers of plastics and these plastics are often blended with each other to get desirable properties which makes them complex in structure and to identify which type of plasti it is. Still. there are some plastics which are identical in nature and their tructure and are used widely across the globe. Since, it is necessary to identify what type of plastic is, their identification should be easy. That way, it can be easily used and also to recycle used material.

The Society of the Plastics Industry introduced the Resin Identification Code (RIC) system in 1988 as a growing number of communities were implementing recycling programs. In order to address the concerns of recyclers across the U.S., the RIC system was designed to make it easier for workers in Materials Recovery and Recycling facilities to sort and separate items according to their resin type. Plastics must be recycled separately, with like materials, in order to preserve the material’s value and enable its reuse in other products after being recycled.

RIC was developed originally by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association) in 1988, but has been administered by ASTM International since 2008.

Following are the seven types defined by the RIC system:

♳ Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

♴  High-density polyethylene (HDPE)

♵  Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or V)

♶ Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)

♷  Polypropylene (PP)

♸  Polystyrene (PS)

♹ Other plastics (OTHER or O)  

Let's get the primary introduction and uses for each of them.

#1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)  ♳

PET is indicated by #1 in the resin identication code system and it is used for Polyester fibres (Polar Fleece), thermoformed sheet, strapping, soft drink bottles, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling and (occasionally) new containers and bottles. It can be recycled easily.

#2  High-density polyethylene (HDPE) ♴

HDPE is indicated by #2 in the RIC system and is used in Bottles, grocery bags, milk jugs, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, base cups, car stops, playground equipment, and plastic lumber. HDPE is also recyled. 

 #3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) ♵

PVC is indicated by #3 in the RIC system and is extensively used for pipes, window profile, siding, fencing, flooring, shower curtains, lawn chairs, non-food bottles, and children's toys. It contains Chlorine which makes it hard to recycle but still, it is extensively recycled in Europe. 

 #4 Low-density polyehtylene (LDPE) ♶

 LDPE is indicated by #4 and is used for plastic bags, six pack rings, various containers, dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory equipments. Apart fron plastic bags, most of the things are accepted by the recycling centres.

#5 Polypropylene (PP) ♷

PP is indicated by #5 and is used in auto parts, industrial fibres, food containers, and dishware. Some recycling centres accept PP for recycling.

#6 Polystyrene (PS) ♸

PS is indicated by #6 and is exclusively used in desk accessories, cafeteria trays, plastic utensils, toys, video cassettes and cases, clamshell containers, packaging peanuts, and insulation board and other expanded polystyrene products (e.g., Styrofoam)

#7 Other plastics (O) ♹

 All the other plastic are indicated by #7. It can include other plastics such as acrylic, nylon, polycarbonate, and polylactic acid (a bioplastic), and multilayer combinations of different plastics. As these can be used to indicate a single plastic or mixture of different plastics, it is hard to recycle them but if manufacturer provide the plastic properties and type of plastic used, it can be recycled depending upon the type. It is used in bottles, plastic lumber applications, headlight lenses, and safety shields/glasses.

These seven types of plastics can be easily identified by checking their RIC system number and you can easily segregate different plastics. Segregation of plastics makes it easy task for the recycling centre to identify and recycle them. This way, you can save energy and time. Also, you help nature and environment from pollution and global warming.

We'll discuss these plastics in detail in next few posts.

Keep recycling :)

Introduction to Plastics

Hello folks!

As you might have seen on the social media like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter, Team Recycler is posting stuff about plastic and plastic waste. Their new campaign called #LearnWithRecycler is all about plastic and I am here to introduce you all to Plastic.

Everyone in the world is familiar with Plastics. If you look around yourself, you won't took more than two seconds to notice things made up plastics. From the plastic cups to drink the tea/coffee to the laptop casing, water bottles, mobile phone casings, chairs, doors and windows, most of the things around us are made up of plastics or contains part of plastics. We're highly reliable on this versatile material for our daily routine activities. From Tiffin boxes to the vehicle we use to travel contains plastic in them. Without plastic, it is hard to imagine this modern world.

Let's get into little brief about plastics. Plastics are basically synthetic or semi-synthetic carbon polymers. They are malleable, therefore, can be moulded easily in any desired shape. Synthetic plastics are often derived from petrochemicals like crude oil.

Plastic posses various amazing properties which makes it superior to the traditionally used material to manufacture things. Plastic is very easy to manufacture and can be moulded in any given shape. Unlike other materials, it is very cheap and easily available. Its molecular structure is complex and because it is available so many types, it is possible to make different types of plastics according to the need.

Plastics are primarily of two types on the basis of their behaviour when they are exposed to heat: Thermoplastics and thermosetting. Thermoplastics are the plastics which when heated, do not goes undergo any chemical change in their composition and can be recycled and moulded again and again. Examples: Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, etc.,

On the other hand, thermosets or thermosetting polymers can melt and mould only for once. The shape cannot be changed afterwards as these type of plastics do not undergo the reversible reaction when heated. Examples: vulcanization of rubber.

Another type of classification is done on the type of resin. The resin identification number can be seen on most of the plastic utensils and bottles etc., which indicates their type of resin. There are total seven such types in which primary six plastics have their own unique numbers from one to six digits while all the other plastics are included in the seventh category.

We will discuss more of these seven types in detail in the next post. Till then, keep recycling.