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Plastics Carry Bags

Benefits, Issues, Realities

&

Solutions

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CARRY BAGS - WHY PLASTICS ?

PLASTIC BAGS - COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN FOR ALTERNATIVES TO

PLASTIC CARRY BAGS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

WASTE MANAGEMENT & RECYCLING

RECOMMENDATION

CONTENTS

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Replacing Traditional Materials

Due to Superior Properties

Safe & Hygienic Inert and Chemical Resistance

Light Weight & Non-Breakability

Excellent Barrier Properties - Enhancing Shelf-life

Superior Impact Resistance

Transparency as well as Opacity

Lower Fuel Consumption and Product Loss during

Transportation

All These at Lesser Cost

Material Energy Requirement

KWH Kg-1

Aluminum 74.1

Steel 13.9

Glass 7.9

Paper 7.1

Plastic 3.1

WHY PLASTICS ?

Scott, G and Gilead, D., editors, Degradab le

Polymers, Principles and Application,

Chapman & Hall, London, 1995

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Global Consumption of plastics ~ 180 million

tonnes (Per Capita ~ 28kg)

Indian Consumption of plastics ~6.5 million

tonnes ( Per Capita ~ 6kg)

Plastic carry bag accounts for less than 1% of

total plastic consumption.

PLASTICS

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ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

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PLASTICS :TOP GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION SAVER

In 2005, Total Global Emissions was 46GtCO2e

It could have been 51.2 Gt CO2e, but forthe savings by Chemical Industry

Savings by Chemical Industry 11%

Plastics save green house gas emissions

And save the earth from Global Warming

Among The Top 10 Green House Gas Emission Saving Sectors - 4 are Plastics

Insulation Materials Packaging AutomobilesPiping

Source: McKinsey cLCA study for International Council of Chemical Association

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GHG EMISSION SAVING BY PLASTICS PACKAGING

Total Saving 220 Mt CO2e

Plastics Carry Bags reduce GHG emission

Source: McKinsey cLCA study for International Council of Chemical Association

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ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTICS CARRY BAGS?

Jute

Textile

Paper

Degradable Plastics

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE VARIOUS OPTIONS

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ENERGY SAVING:

1 LAC MT. OF ATTA PACKAGING

Energy consumption in GJ for

Manufacturing Raw Materials, Packaging

and Transportation of Atta

Energy saving 81%

Energy recovery with plastics waste-35 GJ

Source: LCA Study by IIT (Delhi)

Jute Vs Plastic

The comparison holds good for Plastics Vs Jute Carry Bags

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Environmental

Burden in kgJute Bag Plastic Bag

Air Pollution

CO 54.3 0.6

CO2 6610.2* 760*

SOx 134.8 5.2

Nox 68.1* 4.8*

CH4 39.5 3.2

HCL 5.3 0

Dust 67.6 1.4

Water Pollution

Suspended Solids 352.3 0.2

Chlorides 4535.5 0.1

**Values are for Packaging of One Lac MT of Atta

EmissionGm/k

m

Excess

Emission

for jute

Bags

Plastic Bags

CO2 781* 11107.3* Taken as Basis

CO 4.5 64.0 Taken as Basis

HC 1.1 15.6 Taken as Basis

NOx 8* 113.8* Taken as Basis

Particulates 0.36 5.1 Taken as Basis

Total Regulated

Tailpipe Emission13.96 198.5 Taken as Basis

*High potential for Global Warming

During production of rawMaterial & bags

Source Report by Centre for Polymer Science and Engineering, IIT - Delhi

ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN

During transportation of the finished bags

Jute Bag Vs Plastic Bag

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AIR & WATER POLLUTION

Source: Scott, G and Gilead, D., Editors, Degradable Polymers, Principles and Application, Chapman & Hall, London, 1995

29

67

9.9

28.1

6.8

10.8

1.53.8

16.4

0.56.8

0.5

107.8

0.2

43.1

0

50

100

150

Envir

onmentalBurdenon

CommonScale

GJ SO2 Nox CH4 CO Dust COD BOD

Polyethylene

Paper

Energy for Manufacture

Polyethylene Vs Paper

Figures for 50, 000 carry bags

Emissions

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PLASTIC & TEXTILE BAGS

y Plastics manufacturing consumes 400 kwh/mt while

composite textile mills consume 1310 kwh/mt

y Textile contributes 30% SOx (second highest by any sector)

and 23% NOx (highest by any sector)Source : Warmer Bulletin, July 01

This gives a comparative analysis of environmental

burden generated by paper, jute & textile bags which are

not visible to naked eyes though, in comparison to plastic

bags!

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Increase shelf-life of contents

Essential for packaging / carrying

of confectionery, bakery products

Essential for packaging / carrying

hygroscopic products like sugar / salt / jaggary

Convenient for carrying fish / meat / poultry and other wet food

products no other appropriate alternatives

Essential to carry commodities during rainy season

Add convenience to day-to-day life

PLASTICS BAGS / CARRY BAGS

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Plastic carry bags generate 60 % less GHG than uncomposted paper

bags & 79% than composted paper bags

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Plastic grocery bags consume 40% less energy during production

and generate 80% less solid waste after use.

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

Plastic grocery bags consume 40% less energy during production and

generate 80% less solid waste after use than paper bags.

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Paper bags generate 70% more air pollutants and ~ 50 times more

water pollutants than plastic bags do.

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

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PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

Plastics and Paper both can be recycled. However it takes 91%

less energy to recycle a kg of plastic than a kg of paper.

Source: ULS LCA Report, USA and other reports

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150,000 plastic bags of

20 cm x 30 cm x 40 micron needs 1

small tempo for transportation

Paper bags of same size & number

need ~ 10 such tempos for

transportation - due to higher weight

and volume Consuming more fuel and

causing more air pollution

PLASTIC & PAPER CARRY BAGS

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DESPITE ALL THESE POSITIVEATTRIBUTES

PLASTIC BAGS ARE UNDER SCANNER

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MAJOR ISSUES

Health & safety

Toxicity

Biodegradability

Disposal & waste management

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Polythene is approved safe material forUse

In contact with food, pharmaceuticals and drinking water

As implants within human body

In medical applications like IV bottle, Packaging of tablets

For Packaging of Liquid Milk

Plastic Carry Bags are generally made from Polyethylene

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TOXICITY

Issue:

Plastics are termed as toxic and injurious to health

Fact:

Plastics are inert materials and do not pose any danger of toxicity

Emissions during processing of plastics are well within regulatory norms

(study by SIIR Delhi)

Additives used in plastics are approved as per BIS / FDA standards

Emissions at fire situation have similar or lesser implications in

comparison to situation involving natural organic materials like wood,

paper & cotton

Emissions during burning of paper and polyethylene are similar

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BIODEGRADABILITY

Issue:

Non-biodegradability property of plastics carry bags is termed as the

major reason of waste management problem

Plastics are useful for its long life characteristics

Nothing decomposes substantially in modern landfills. It requires

additional mechanical action for composting degradable waste

Indian Landfills does not practice Composting Activity

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BIODEGRADABLE OR RECYCLABLE PLASTICS ?

Compostable plastics will degrade/compost only in composting

conditions

The concept of Biodegradable Plastics will encourage littering

Spurious products cannot be detected in market place causing flooding of

fake bags

A mixture of degradable and non-degradable plastics will disturb the

plastics recycling activity

During decomposition stage biodegradable plastics emit CO2 and CH4

both green house gases

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BIODEGRADATION OR RECYCLING ?

Biodegradable Plastics have been developed

However these are required in applications where recycling

is not possible or difficult

Developed countries major manufacturers of BD Plastics

have not mandated use of Biodegradable Plastics Carry Bags

in their countries

Reuse and Recycling is preferred

over degradation to encourage Resource Management

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USE OF BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS

Recommended applications of BD plastics:

Nursery Bags,

Mulch/Agricultural film, One time use Cutlery / Cups etc to be Carried in Ships /

Remote areas

Lamination on jute paper for Relevant Packaging

Applications etc

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DISPOSAL

Issue:

Plastics are blamed as the major cause of MSW problem

Facts:

According to studies plastics form about 5% of total MSW in

major Indian Metros

A recent study at Deonar dumping area (Mumbai) reveals

that ~ 90 % of plastics waste brought to the landfill are picked

up by rag pickers and sold to waste trades for recycling

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PLASTICS IN MSW

NEERI study - 2005

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ISSUE INDIAN CONTEXT

WHILE ALL SOLID / THICK PLASTICS WASTE IS

SYSTEMATICALLY PICKED UP BY THE WASTE COLLECTORS

FOR RECYCLING, DISPOSAL OF THIN PLASTIC CARRY BAGS,

SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WASTE AND MULTI-LAYER PACKETS,

ABANDONED BY THE WASTE PICKERS, HAVE CREATED SOLID

WASTE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM

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PLASTIC CARRY BAGS : GLOBAL MATRIX

No developed country in the world has any thickness restriction of Plastic

Carry bags

No country in the world has mandated use of Biodegradable Plastics for

any mass commodity product like Carry Bags

In California - USA, initial measures for banning of normal plastic bags in

favour of biodegradable plastics / paper bags has been stricken down by

the Superior Court asking for conducting LCA study on the products

France dropped its earlier proposal for banning of normal plastic bags in

favour of Biodegradable Plastic Bags on the direction from EU

Parliament

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PLASTIC CARRY BAGS : GLOBAL MATRIX

Australia has plans to reduce the use of thin HDPE bags by 50%

over a period of three years

Some developed countries levy tax on all packaging materials

including plastic carry bags to meet the cost of managing the

waste

Many developing countries including China & India have

thickness and size restrictions

Only Bangladesh and some African nations have imposed ban on

plastic carry bags

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SOLUTION TO DISPOSAL PROBLEM

Segregation at source awareness among citizens against

littering

Proper system for collection of segregated wastes for facilitating

recycling

Incentives / encouragement for recycling

Upgradation of the existing mechanical recycling technology

Encouragement for alternate methods of recycling / recovery of

energy

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WASTE MANAGEMENT: CASE STUDY

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Rag pickers with van Loading of dry waste inMunicipality van

Dry waste being carried

for loading intoMunicipality van

Dry waste at housingcolonies

Municipality van withdry waste on way to

segregation area

SEGREGATION OF WASTE AT SOURCE

A WARD

MUMBAI

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Segregation of dry waste

Packing of segregateddry waste

Storing of segregation drywaste in secured place

Segregation of dry waste being weighedand sold to recyclers / traders

A WARDMUMBAI

SEGREGATION OF WASTE AT SOURCE

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A comparative assessment of the

segregation activities in select

Mumbai Wards

There is wealth in Waste

DRY WASTE SEGREGATION DATA

MUMBAI WARDS A, D, F(N), M (E & W), S & T

BMC provides dry waste collection

vans and secured segregation area

free of cost

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CONVENTIONAL RECYCLING

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CONVENTIONAL RECYCLING

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CONVENTIONAL RECYCLING

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NON-CONVENTIONAL RECYCLING AND RECOVERY

Co-processing in Cement Kilns / Energy Recovery

Conversion to Fuel

Construction of Asphalt Road

Conversion to Basic Chemical

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Invention by Indian ScientistDr. Alka Zadgaonkar

Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur

FUEL FROM WASTE PLASTICS

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SCIENTIFIC SOLUTION TO PLASTICS WASTEDISPOSAL WITH RECOVERY OF ENERGY

ACC Plant at Kymore - MP

All types of plastics waste laminated, mixed & uncleaned, can

be co-processed in Cement Kiln in partial replacement of coal

CALORIFIC VALUES (MJ / KG) :Plastics ~ 45:Coal ~ 29

CPCB HAS APPROVED THE PROCESS

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PLASTICS WASTEIN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

ASPHALT PLANT OF BMC, WORLI,MUMBAI

Prof. V S AGHASE ROAD DADAR,MUMBAI

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Vidyasagar Street Kalyani, West Bengal

PLASTICS WASTE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

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Bawana, Delhi

PLASTICS WASTE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

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RECOMMENDATIONS

IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGING WASTE

RULE SIMILAR TO THOSE PREVAILING IN DEVELOPED

COUNTRIES

PROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

(MANAGEMENT & HANDLING) RULE, 2000 OF MoEF, GOVT OF

INDIA

UNIFORM PLASTIC CARRY BAG THICKNESS RULE IN THE

ENTIRE COUNTRY AND PROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

SAME

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AWARENESS MESSAGETO ALL CITIZENS