FLEXIBLE AND RIGID PLASTIC RECYCLING
[EIRI/EDPR/4589] J.C.: 2806XL
INTRODUCTION
Recycling flexible packaging is a relatively simple process but well worth the effort considering the alternative end result. The impact of preventing these materials from ending up in a landfill and prolonging their life cycle is substantial and helps contribute to reducing global waste. One caveat is that flexible packaging cannot be combined with other recyclables in a curbside bin used for other household papers and plastics. The current recycling program operating in the United States stipulates that these materials be dropped off at specific locations where they can be collected to then be reused.
Approximately 50% of flexible packaging in the U.S. is recyclable, so it is crucial to be able to differentiate between which items are and are not admissible for store drop-off. Flexible plastics made of polyethylene are recyclable, including grocery and produce bags, bread bags, and more. Some packaging that should not be included is biodegradable or compostable bags, pre-washed salad mix bags, and candy wrappers.
The easiest way to tell if a product is eligible for recycling is by checking the label, which will be detailed further in step 2. Additionally, the infographic below provides some examples of common items that are included in the store drop-off program and which ones are not.
Once at your local grocery or retail store, you will see a specified disposal bin labeled for bags, films, and wraps. These recycling bins are typically located at the front of the store for your convenience. A handy trick is to have a reusable shopping tote at home to collect all of your flexible packaging materials, and then when you head to the store, simply grab the tote, deposit the flexible packaging, shop for your groceries, and then use the tote to bring your groceries home. This strategy ensures that all flexible packaging is collected in one place and prevents you from forgetting them at home.
Plastic recycling is extremely important, both as a method to deal with our existing waste and as a component of both circular economy and zero-waste systems that aim to reduce waste generation and increase sustainability. There are social, environmental, and economic consequences surrounding our current waste generation and disposal habits, and whether that is the issue of micro plastics or an estimated $2.5 trillion in damage and lost resources to fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities, and global wellbeing, the impact is no longer in doubt.
However, meeting the challenges posed by plastics is not simple, and there exists a lack of awareness surrounding the plastic waste problem. Despite the fact that potential issues were first flagged in the 1960s, historically, there has been a lot of pushback against implementing real change—mainly from the plastics industry itself. Recently, the tide seems to be turning on this issue as more people look for sustainable options and educate themselves about why plastic recycling is important.
Today, as both consumers and businesses look to recycle more materials, there is a lack of knowledge on how to do it effectively. This creates issues in the form of contamination, either by mixing non-recyclable plastics with recyclable plastics or trying to recycle plastics soiled by things like adhesives, chemicals, and food remnants that further impedes the recycling process. Both of these problems can lead to plastics being sent to the landfill rather than recycled.
Another complication is found within the products themselves. While some goods, like water bottles and other drink bottles, are frequently made from a single, common plastic (such as PETE) allowing them to be easily recycled, many others are designed to use a mix of plastics, which can cause serious issues in our current plastic recycling process. What’s more, many products are a mix of plastics and non-plastics such as wood or metal. Sadly, these products won’t even go near a recycling center.
COST ESTIMATION
Plant Capacity 100 MT/Day
Land & Building (20,000 sq.mt.) Rs. 6.83 Cr
Plant & Machinery Rs. 5.36 Cr
Working Capital for 1 Month Rs. 7.82 Cr
Total Capital Investment Rs. 20.87 Cr
Rate of Return 49%
Break Even Point 45%
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PLASTIC CLASSIFICATION:
RESOURCES OF PLASTIC WASTE
PLASTIC RECYCLING AND ITS IMPORTANCE
APPLICATIONS FOR MECHANICALLY RECYCLED HOUSEHOLD PLASTICS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL RECYCLING
MECHANICAL RECYCLING
ADVANCED RECYCLING
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE 6 COMMON TYPES OF PLASTICS
CHALLENGES FOR PLASTIC RECYCLING INDUSTRY
B.I.S. SPECIFICATION
TYPES OF RECYCLABLE PLASTICS
POLYSTYRENE
POLYPROPYLENE
LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)
HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE)
POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET)
NUMBER 1: PETE (OR PET) – POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
NUMBER 2: HDPE – HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
NUMBER 3: PVC – POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
NUMBER 4: LDPE – LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
NUMBER 5: PP – POLYPROPYLENE
NUMBER 6: PS – POLYSTYRENE
PLASTIC RECYCLING TARGETS
STAGES IN PLASTIC RECYCLING PROCESS
1. COLLECTION
2. SORTING
3. WASHING
4. SHREDDING OR RESIZING
5. IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF PLASTIC
6. COMPOUNDING OR EXTRUDING
PROCESS OF PLASTIC RECYCING
STEP BY STEP DETAIL
COLLECTION
SORTING
MANUAL PICKING
TROMMELS
OCC SCREENING
BALLISTIC SEPARATOR
MAGNET SEPARATOR
EDDY CURRENTS – FOR NON-FERROUS METALS
OPTIC SORTING MACHINE
SINK-FLOAT SEPARATOR
REPROCESSING
FURTHER SORTING FOR QUALITY CONTROL
WASHING – CONTAMINANTS ARE CLEANED OFF THE PLASTIC RECYCLING
SHREDDING/GRINDING – PLASTIC PRODUCTS ARE GROUND INTO SMALLER PIECES
SEQUENCES ON PLASTIC RECYCLING
1. COLLECTION + DISTRIBUTION
2. SORTING + CATEGORIZING
3. WASHING
4. SHREDDING
5. IDENTIFICATION AND SEPARATION OF PLASTICS
6. EXTRUDING + COMPOUNDING
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLASTIC
NUMBER 1: PETE (OR PET) – POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
NUMBER 2: HDPE – HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
NUMBER 3: PVC – POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
NUMBER 4: LDPE – LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
NUMBER 5: PP – POLYPROPYLENE
NUMBER 6: PS – POLYSTYRENE
NUMBER 7: OTHER
MARKET OVERVIEW OF PLASTIC RECYCLING
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE TO PRODUCE COLORLESS TRANSPARENT PLASTIC GRANULES FROM WASTE
SORTING
SMASHING
WASHING
CONCENTRATION OF BLENDING
SOLVENT ADDITION
REMOVAL OF COLOUR TO OBTAIN TRANSPARENT GRANULES BY ACTIVATED CARBON TREATMENT
FILTERATION
DISTILLATION
COOLING AND DEHUMIDIFYING
GRANULATION
WEIGHING, FILLING AND PACKING
MANUFACTURING PROCESS FLOW CHART
RECYCLING POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET)
RPET IS EMPLOYED FOR NEW PRODUCTS SUCH AS:
PET COLLECTION AND SORTING
PROCESS OF PET RECYCLING UNIT
SEQUENCES OF OPERATION INVOLVED IN PET RECYCLING UNIT
PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM OF PET RECYLING
PRINCIPLES OF PLANT LAYOUT
STORAGE LAYOUT:
EQUIPMENT LAYOUT:
SAFETY:
PLANT EXPANSION:
FLOOR SPACE:
UTILITIES SERVICING:
BUILDING:
MATERIAL-HANDLING EQUIPMENT:
RAILROADS AND ROADS:
MAJOR PROVISIONS IN ROAD PLANNING FOR MULTIPURPOSE SERVICE ARE:
PLANT LOCATION FACTORS
PRIMARY FACTORS
1. RAW-MATERIAL SUPPLY:
2. MARKETS:
3. POWER AND FUEL SUPPLY:
4. WATER SUPPLY:
5. CLIMATE:
SPECIFIC FACTORS
6. TRANSPORTATION:
A. AVAILABILITY OF VARIOUS SERVICES AND PROJECTED RATES
7. WASTE DISPOSAL:
8. LABOR:
9. REGULATORY LAWS:
10. TAXES:
11. SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
12. COMMUNITY FACTORS:
13. VULNERABILITY TO WARTIME ATTACK:
14. FLOOD AND FIRE CONTROL:
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
EFFLUENT TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL
STANDARDS
TOLERANCE LIMITS FOR INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT DISCHARGE
WASTE TREATMENT
PRIMARY TREATMENT
SECONDARY TREATMENT
TERTIARY TREATMENT
SOLIDS CONCENTRATION
TYPICAL WASTE SOLIDS CHARACTERISTICS
EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENT
EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS
MANPOWER
GENERAL
BASIS OF ESTIMATION
EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED IN THE PROJECT REPORT
1. DEPRECIATION:
2. FIXED ASSETS:
3. WORKING CAPITAL:
4. BREAK-EVEN POINT:
5. OTHER FIXED EXPENSES:
6. MARGIN MONEY:
7. TOTAL LOAD:
8. LAND AREA/MAN POWER RATIO:
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULES
INTRODUCTION
PROJECT HANDLING
PROJECT SCHEDULING
PROJECT CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
TIME SCHEDULE
SUPPLIERS OF PLASTIC RECYCLING PLANT
COMPLETE PLANT SUPPLIERS FOR PLASTIC GRANULES FROM WASTE
SUPPLERS OF PLANT & MACHINERY
SUPPLERS OF REACTION VESSEL
SUPPLERS OF GRANULATORS
SUPPLERS OF MIXER
WASTE RAW MATERIAL SUPPLIERS ADDRESSES
PLASTIC PROCESSING MACHINERY SUPPLIER IN INDIA
MACHINERY AND PROCESS KNOW HOW
PLASTIC TESTING LABS IN INDIA
ADDRESSES OF RAW MATERIALS SUPPLIERS
APPENDIX – A:
01. PLANT ECONOMICS
02. LAND & BUILDING
03. PLANT AND MACHINERY
04. OTHER FIXED ASSESTS
05. FIXED CAPITAL
06. RAW MATERIAL
07. SALARY AND WAGES
08. UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS
09. TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL
10. TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT
11. COST OF PRODUCTION
12. TURN OVER/ANNUM
13. BREAK EVEN POINT
14. RESOURCES FOR FINANCE
15. INSTALMENT PAYABLE IN 5 YEARS
16. DEPRECIATION CHART FOR 5 YEARS
17. PROFIT ANALYSIS FOR 5 YEARS
18. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET FOR (5 YEARS)