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How a recycling facility in Vizag is countering the plastic waste problem

How a recycling facility in Vizag is countering the plastic waste problem

Have you ever wondered how much plastic we use in a day and where does all that waste end up? Thankfully, there are people creating awareness on avoidance of plastic in our lives. Now, taking a step forward, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited (REEL) is giving a solution for all the plastic waste generated in the city. Spread over three acres at Pharma City, in Parawada near Vizag, they have a recycling facility in Vizag that handles 1 megatonne per hour of both industrial and domestic plastic waste. This facility has the capacity to recycle 20 tonnes per day and 500 tonnes per month.

Currently, this facility is recycling around 120 tonnes of plastic waste; both industrial and domestic. They take up recycling in an automation system where the plastic waste is put into dedusting, shredding, two-stage washing, squeezing and granulation. A total of at least 1,000 tonnes of waste (wet and dry) is generated in the city, out of which only 250 tonnes is dry waste. Of this, only 30-40 tonnes (5 percent) is domestic waste which can be recyclable. The firm also takes waste from industries and pays them. Speaking to Yo! Vizag, Recycling Operations Head, E Tirupathi Reddy said, “We recycle any kind of plastic such as household items, chairs, and buckets into granules. While, LDPE (low-density polyethylene), which cannot be recycled properly, will be recycled to make biodegradable dustbin covers. This recycling process is a circular economy where we recycle the plastic to make another product, making sure that the waste doesn’t go into land or ocean.”

REEL has a tie-up with Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for collecting plastic waste from the collection points. As a pilot project, the firm is getting 1 to 1.5 tonnes of plastic waste from the collection point in Poorna Market, Vizag for recycling. In the next 1-2 months, more collection points are to be set up across the city. Teams from REEL will educate workers on source segregation. They will also generate awareness among households on the segregation of waste at these collection points. The REEL teams will also collect waste from auto drivers, as well as rag pickers, and pay them. “We also accept plastic waste from households who are interested in giving it and in return we pay them money. Once the collection points come up, we can recycle more plastic waste,” said Tirupathi Reddy.

REEL also houses blown-film bag making, and bag printing machinery, to produce high-quality multi-purpose plastic bags such as grocery bags, biomedical bags, and garbage bags. These will be above 51 microns, compliant with the SPCB/CPCB norms and manufactured in accordance with the IS 14534:1998 standard guidelines for recycled plastic products.

Source: Yo Vizag