How a municipality in Panchmahal recycled 6,000-kg seized plastic into garden tiles

The SUP was seized connected January 21 during a thrust initiated connected the directions of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), dated January 16, nether Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for enforcement of prohibition connected SUP. Accordingly, the officials of GPCB, gross section on with constabulary raided the integrative accumulation units successful Halol.

Halol Municipality Chief Officer Hiral Thakar told The Indian Express, “We confiscated 850 tonnes of SUP, nether 20 microns thickness, from astir 24 accumulation units. The panchnama successful the lawsuit was conducted by the officials of the gross section arsenic GIDC is simply a peculiar gross area”.

“After pursuing the owed process of confiscating amerciable goods, the Municipality took custody of the stash. Since it is an amerciable product, arsenic per law, it has to beryllium destroyed. The SUPs were 20 microns, mode nether the stipulated thickness of 120 microns and besides had nary accusation of accumulation unit, GST details and truthful connected that are present mandatory arsenic per law. The disposal of SUP ever raises biology concerns, truthful we decided to recycle immoderate of the integrative into plot tiles,” said Thakar.

The Halol Municipality has recycled 6,000 kilos of SUP to marque 3,295 pieces of plot tiles, of 1 ft each, and weighing 3.5 kg each.

The Municipality has partnered with Gandhinagar-based Saltech Design Labs, a start-up for discarded recycling and reuse, to marque a composite worldly utilizing SUP and concern particulate (flyash).

Pilot project

Thakar said, “We gave them 6,343 kg of SUP arsenic a pilot, which was mixed with 5,190 kg of ash filler successful a 55:45 ratio to make the tiles. Not lone are these tiles sturdy, they are besides cost-effective arsenic they crook retired to beryllium cheaper by Rs 18 compared to cement blocks of the aforesaid size. Moreover, it besides helps successful reusing flyash, which poses the aforesaid question of disposal successful industries. Thus, the full c simplification amounts to a important 17,414 kilos.”

The start-up is among those recommended nether the Swachh Bharat Mission for usage of the exertion that has been patented successful 7 countries, helium said. “The start-up has besides fitted astir 17,000 quadrate feet of akin tiles successful the Pandit Deendayal Energy University (previously, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University), which is the alma mater of the start-up laminitis Aditya Shukla,” Thakar said, adding, “We present person a aviator acceptable arsenic an illustration to amusement however SUP and concern particulate tin beryllium reused to trim c emission.”Thakar estimates that reusing the full 850 ton of confiscated SUP would make tiles to screen a abstraction of 4.21 lakh quadrate feet and chopped down c dioxide emanation by 2,172 tonnes.

The Halol Municipality, connected January 30, had besides received the support of the Mission Director of the Gujarat Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) for a “Waste to Value project”.

Under the project, the Municipality proposes to reuse integrative and rubber waste, generated successful its area, which is dominated by concern units by turning it into “reusable items”.   Thakar added, “Since the past 2 years, we person been attempting to chopped down connected single- usage integrative successful the jurisdiction. Every clip we raid vendors, they inquire america wherefore don’t we halt production.”

“The different mode of disposing of the SUPs is to nonstop them to the cement mill furnace for burning but we person been moving connected the task for the past fewer months to enactment them to usage by blending them with immoderate cause and generating worth retired of waste… We person considered making blocks, drainage covers, benches, and besides a monolith,” she said.

Monolith at Jyoti Circle

A monolith, presently commissioned to the aforesaid start-up, volition soon beryllium enactment up astatine Jyoti Circle successful Halol town, giving retired the connection of reusing discarded arsenic portion of the task of the Municipality. Thakar said, “It volition person a message, ‘I americium not portion of integrative discarded and I americium honored to invited you’ and assistance america propulsion the campaign.”

“So far, the manufacturers of SUP person been taking vantage of the information that nary 1 would instrumentality work for the muddamal (seized transgression material) and, thus, it would beryllium returned to them. But present that we person a aviator (project) and we tin amusement that this tin beryllium done with confiscated waste, it volition go an example. The confiscated amerciable worldly is worthy Rs 15.5 crore if they are sold to vendors astatine a outgo of Rs 180 per kg,” she said.

Thakar added that they are exploring ineligible enactment against the accumulation units nether the Environment (Protection) Act, erstwhile the ongoing Municipality polls are completed.

She said, “This is, perhaps, the archetypal clip successful the authorities that we person confiscated amerciable SUP from accumulation units. Usually, drives are conducted to confiscate the SUPs from vendors but this lawsuit volition beryllium an illustration to halt the production. We person sought sentiment from GPCB and the Urban Development Department to proceed with this exemplary of recycling…”

“We volition besides lodge FIRs aft seeking the sentiment of the authorities ineligible department. The section constabulary person already lodged an FIR against 35 radical for trying to obstruct the work, we had undertaken during the drive, by cornering the officers,” she added.