Dr.D.Y.

Patil Pratishthan‟s

D. Y. PATIL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Kasba Bavada, Kolhapur.

A
PROJECT REPORT

ON

PLASTIC AND ENVIRONMENT

SUBMMITTED BY

MR. AZIM AYYAZ SUTAR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. MRS. P. V. ALATEKAR

(2017-2018)
 Plastic & Environment 2017-2018

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project work entitled „PLASTIC AND ENVIRONMENT’ is a
bonafide work carried out by AZIM AYYAZ SUTAR (C-34). In the partial fulfillment of
project work of subject ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES of Bachelors Degree Program in
Mechanical Engineering of Shivaji University Kolhapur. During the year 2017-2018. The
project report has approved as it satisfied the academic requirement.

Prof.Mrs.P.V.Alatekar Prof.M.J.Patil Dr.A.N.Jadhav

Project Guide Project Coordinator Principal

External Examiner

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is a great pleasure and enthusiasm that we are presenting this project report. I have
tried my best to touch all the aspects of this project. This project would not have been
completed without the encouragement and help of several people. Firstly, I would like to
thank respected principal Dr.A.N.Jadhav for his motivation. I would like to thank each of
their help, inspiration and cooperation. We express our sincere vote of thanks & gratitude to
our project guide Prof.Mrs.P.V.Alatekar for giving personal attention and valuable
guidance. I also would like to thank our project coordinator Prof.M.J.Patil sir for his active
co-operation and encouragement. At the end, we obliged to all people who directly or
indirectly helped us for the completion of this project and making it pleasurable,
knowledgeable experience.

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Index

Sr.No. Title Page No.

1 Introduction 5
2 What is Plastic? 6
3 Impact on Environment 7
4 Impact on Human 8

5 Impacts of Plastic Waste on the Health of Ecosystems 9

6 Threat to the Animals of Plastic Waste 10

a. Plastic Bag Ban in India
7 b. Rules/Notices Regarding Plastic Bag Usage and 11
Ban
8 Why Recycling of Plastic? 12
9 General Plastic Recycling Method 13

10 Waste Hierarchy in the informal sector for Plastic 14

Different Types of Recycling Methods

11 15
Mechanical Recycling Process
12 Gasification 16
Using Waste Plastics in Road Constructions
13 17

14 Using Plastic Bottles for Different Civil Construction 18

15 Preventive Measures 19
Survey of Use of Plastic Carry Bags in Different
16 20
Shops in My Village (Unchgaon)
17 Conclusion 22
18 Suggestion for Green Plastic Free Environment 23
19 References 24

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Introduction:
There has been ongoing debate on the use of plastic across the world and many cities
have banned or considered banning the use of this product. Plastic have today become the
most visible indicator of environmental degradation as citizens associate plastic to
environmental pollution on account of its prominence in the municipal waste stream. In the
last 60 years, plastic has become a useful and versatile material with a wide range of
applications. Its uses are likely to increase with ongoing developments in the plastic industry.
In the future, plastic could help address some of the world‟s most pressing problems, such as
climate change and food shortages. Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants of present
time. Being composed of toxic chemicals and most importantly a non-biodegradable
substance, plastic pollutes earth and leads to air pollution and water pollution. This also
mixes with food chain effecting Environment Humans and animals. There is no safe way to
dispose plastic waste and waste causes serious damage to environment during its production
process, during its usage and during its disposal process.

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What is Plastic?
Plastic is an organic material manufactured from petroleum derivatives. It is
composed of one organic substance or more. It can be shaped into any form or shape as
desired. In 1754, when Horace Walpole suggested the word „serendipity‟, no one knew that
it would come to be associated with some of the greatest scientists and discoveries in history.
In 1898, Hans von Pechmann discovered, by accident or serendipity, a waxy substance at
the bottom of the test tube, giving birth to one of the most controversial as well as most
widely used substances of modern times polythene. However, its main ingredient,
diazomethane, was highly unstable, and it was Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson at
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) who, again by serendipity, discovered its industrially
practical version in 1933. This version too could not be mass-produced, and it was only in
1935, that Michael Perrin, again an ICI chemist, developed this accident into reproducible
polythene, leading to its viable mass production in 1939.
The word „plastic‟ comes from the Greek word „plasticos‟, which means to be able to
be shaped or moulded by heat. „Polymers‟ is the generic term for all plastic materials,
referring to organic, carbon based compounds whose molecules are linked together in long-
chain patterns.

Sectoral Consumption of Plastic

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Impact on Environment:

Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants of present time. Being composed of toxic
chemicals and most importantly a non-biodegradable substance, plastic pollutes earth and
leads to air pollution and water pollution. This also mixes with food chain effecting
Environment Humans and animals. There is no safe way to dispose plastic waste and waste
causes serious damage to environment during its production process, during its usage and
during its disposal process.
Toxic chemicals release during manufacturing process is another significant source of
the negative environmental impact of plastics. A whole host of carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and
hormone-disruptive chemicals are standard ingredients and waste products of plastic
production, and they inevitably find their way into our ecology through water, land, and air
pollution. Some of the major compounds include vinyl chloride (in PVC), dioxins (in PVC),
benzene (in polystyrene), phthalates and other plasticizers (in PVC and others),
formaldehyde, and bisphenol-A, or BPA (in polycarbonate). Many of these are persistent
organic pollutants (POPs)—some of the most damaging toxins on the planet, owing to a
combination of their persistence in the environment and their high levels of toxicity;
however, their unmitigated release into the environment affects all terrestrial and aquatic life
with which they come into contact.
The disposal of plastics—the “grave” phase, is one of the least-recognized and most
highly problematic areas of plastic‟s ecological impact. Ironically, one of plastic‟s most
desirable traits—its durability and resistance to decomposition—is also the source of one of
its greatest liabilities when it comes to the disposal of plastics. Natural organisms have a very
difficult time breaking down the synthetic chemical bonds in plastic, creating the tremendous
problem of the material‟s persistence. A very small amount of total plastic production (less
than 10%) is effectively recycled; the remaining plastic is sent to landfills, where it is
destined to remain entombed in limbo for hundreds of thousands of years, or to incinerators,
where its toxic compounds are spewed throughout the atmosphere to be accumulated in biotic
forms throughout the surrounding ecosystems.

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Impact on Human:

The harmful effects of plastic on aquatic life are devastating, and accelerating. The
impacts of plastic waste on our health and the environment are only just becoming apparent.
Most of our knowledge is around plastic waste in the marine environment, although there is
research that indicates that plastic waste in landfill and in badly managed recycling systems
could be having an impact, mainly from the chemicals contained in plastic.
There are several chemicals within plastic material itself that have been added to give
it certain properties such as Bisphenol A, phthalates and flame retardants. These all have
known negative effects on human and animal health, mainly affecting the endocrine system.
There are also toxic monomers, which have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
The actual role of plastic waste in causing these health impacts is uncertain. This is partly
because it is not clear what level of exposure is caused by plastic waste, and partly because
the mechanisms by which the chemicals from plastic may have an impact on humans and
animals are not fully established. The most likely pathway is through ingestion, after which
chemicals could bio accumulate up the food chain, meaning that those at the top could be
exposed to greater levels of chemicals.
Plastic waste also has the ability to attract contaminants, such as persistent organic
pollutants (POPs). Plastic could potentially transport these chemicals to otherwise clean
environments and, when ingested by wildlife, plastic could cause the transfer of chemicals
into the organism‟s system. However, in some conditions plastic could potentially act as a
sink for contaminants, making them less available to wildlife, particularly if they are buried
on the seafloor. With their large surface area-to-volume ratio, micro plastics may have the
capacity to make chemicals more available to wildlife and the environment in comparison to
larger sized plastics. However, once ingested, micro plastics may pass through the digestive
system more quickly than larger plastics, potentially providing less opportunity for chemicals
to be absorbed into the circulatory system.

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Impacts of Plastic Waste on the Health of Ecosystems

Figure: Number and percentage of marine species with documented entanglement and
ingestion records from Mudgal et al. (2011) Plastic Waste in the Environment p114 (adapted
from Laist, 1997)

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Threat to the Animals of Plastic Waste

A human being can identify the pollutants; they can consume food by cleaning it. But
the animals cannot identify the pollutants. So now days the cases of animal consuming the
non eatable contents is coming in front. The pollutants are getting mixed with the food of
animals, and they are consuming it. It has become the big problem. Pollution spreaded by the
humans is playing with the life of animals. As shown in above fig how much it is dangerous
to the any animals.

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Plastic Bag Ban in India

The central government has recently passed a ruling under the provisions of the
Environment Protection Act 1986, restricting the sale of some products in plastic carry bags.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has banned the
manufacture and use of plastic carry bags less than 8 inches x 12 inches in size and 40 micron
in width. The ministry has also directed state governments to register all plastic
manufacturing units, so that these can be regulated.

Rules/Notices Regarding Plastic Bag Usage and Ban

According to Plastic (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, the Recycled Plastics
Manufacture and Usage Rules were notified by Government of India in the 1999 and further
amended in 2003 to have control over the manufacture, sale and use of virgin and recycled
plastic carry bags and recycled plastic containers. These rules prohibited the manufacture,
stocking, distribution and selling of carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic less than 20
x 30 cm in size and 20 microns in thickness. These rules also disallow the use of recycled
plastic bags and containers for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging of food items.
Under these rules, units manufacturing plastic bags were required to register with their
respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) or Pollution Control Committees (PCCs)
prior to the commencement of production.
Recently, the government notified the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling)
Rules, 2011, to replace the earlier Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 2003,
towards better management of plastic waste. According to the new rules, the minimum
thickness of plastic bags has been raised to 40 microns and recycled carry bags made from
compostable plastics need to conform to specific Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms.
The new rules require the municipal authority to constructively engage with waste pickers,
and agencies or groups working in waste management. The district magistrate has been made
responsible for the enforcement of the rules, and a committee is responsible for control at
manufacturing level.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and West Bengal,
among others, have banned the use of plastic bags. Some states have introduced incremental
regulation towards controlling plastic bags. Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Meghalaya and Goa
have also prescribed norms for the thickness of plastic bags, varying between 30 and 50
microns. The Government of West Bengal has banned the manufacture, use, storage and sale
of plastic bags of thickness below 40 microns and of size 16 x 12 inches. Gujarat, Odisha and
Goa have banned the use of plastic bags in certain religious and tourist areas (such as Ambaji,
Dakor and Somnath in Gujarat and the municipal area of Puri and Konark in Odisha).The
union territory Chandigarh implemented a complete ban on the manufacture, use, storage and
sale of plastic bags in the entire region since 2008. Most recently, Rajasthan, in 2010, and
Haryana, in 2011, imposed a complete ban on plastic bags. In January 2009, the Delhi
government also ordered a complete ban on the use of all plastic bags in market areas.
Despite these efforts to control the usage of plastic bags and the consequent degradation of
the environment, states and union territories have not been able to effectively implement the
ban on plastic bags. In most parts of India, the bans have been ineffective due to various
reasons, ranging from slack enforcement by the administration to lack of cost-effective
alternatives. There is, therefore, a need to assess and compare the effectiveness of the ban on
plastic carry bags in different parts of the country.

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Why Recycling of Plastic?

In „western‟ countries, plastic consumption has grown at a tremendous rate over the
past two or three decades. In the „consumer‟ societies of Europe and America, scarce
petroleum resources are used for producing an enormous variety of plastics for an even wider
variety of products. Many of the applications are for products with a life-cycle of less than
one year and then the vast majority of these plastics are then discarded. In most instances
reclamation of this plastic waste is simply not economically viable. In industry (the
automotive industry for example) there is a growing move towards reuse and reprocessing of
plastics for economic, as well as environmental reasons, with many praiseworthy examples of
companies developing technologies and strategies for recycling of plastics.
In landfill, both synthetic and naturally occurring polymers don‟t get the necessary
exposure to UV and microbes to degrade. Here they are taking up space and none of the
energy put into making them is being reclaimed.
Reclaiming the energy stored in the polymers can be done through incineration, but
this can cause environmental damage by release of toxic gases into the atmosphere.
Recycling is a viable alternative in getting back some of this energy in the case of some
polymers. As petroleum prices increase it is becoming more financially viable to recycle
polymers rather than produce them from raw materials.

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General Plastic Recycling Method:

Industrial Commercial Agricultural Municipal

Waste Waste Waste Waste

Collection

Cleaning

Sorting

Size Reduction

Sorted, clean Plastic piece

These sorted, clean Plastic pieces are used for further application such as
manufacturing different components.

Following image shows the general method of collecting the plastic waste

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Waste Hierarchy in the informal sector for Plastic

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Different Types of Recycling Methods

Mechanical Recycling Process

Plastic waste from sorted household waste are collected, compressed and packed by
municipalities for transportation to plants operated by recycling businesses. At the recycling
plant, the waste is sorted to remove impurities, and the remaining Plastic waste then shredded
and cleaned, foreign bodies are non-resins are removed and the remainder turned into flakes
and pellets (granules made from flakes, thermally processed by a granulator) for recycling.
The recycled materials are then sent to textile and sheet-making plants, where they are again
melted down to make into textile and sheet products. Mechanical recycling of other plastic
waste follows the same basic process.

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Gasification

Plastics are converted to gas for use as a raw material in the chemical industry. Plastics are
composed mainly of carbon and hydrogen and therefore normally produce carbon dioxide
and water when combusted. The gasification process involves heating plastics and adding a
supply of oxygen and steam. The supply of oxygen is limited, which means that much of the
plastics turn into hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and water. Sand heated to 600-800 is
circulated inside a first-stage low-temperature gasification furnace. Plastics introduced into
the furnace break down on contact with the sand to form hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide,
hydrogen and char. If the plastics contain chlorine, they produce hydrogen chloride. If plastic
products contain metal or glass, these are recovered as non-combustible matter.
The gas from the low-temperature gasification furnace is reacted with steam at a temperature
of 1,300-1,500 in a second-stage high-temperature gasification furnace to produce a gas
composed mainly of carbon monoxide and oxygen. At the furnace outlet, the gas is rapidly
cooled to 200 or below to prevent the formation of dioxins. The granulated blast furnace slag
also produced is used in civil engineering and construction materials. The gas then passes
through a gas scrubber and any remaining hydrogen chloride is neutralized by alkalis and
removed from the synthetic gas. This synthetic gas is used as a raw material in the chemical
industry to produce chemicals such as hydrogen, methanol, ammonia and acetic acid.

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Using Waste Plastics in Road Constructions

The non-wetting property of plastics is also being implemented successfully in road
construction business. Bitumen film is often stripped off the aggregates because of the
penetration of water, which results in pothole formation. When polymer (plastic waste) is
coated over aggregate, the coating reduces its affinity for water due to non-wetting nature of
the polymer, thereby obstructing the penetration of water. Polymers also shows higher
softening temperature, thereby reduce the bleeding of bitumen during the summers a polymer
blend made out of littered plastic bags, PET bottles and thin film grade plastics. These are
used for making a compound used for modifying bitumen that is used in the construction of
roads. This blend is cheaper and best blinding agent. The addition of this blend increases the
Marshall Stability and Flow values. The compressive strength also increases by addition of
this blend. The fatigue life and indirect tensile strength value increases by a factor of three
with the addition of 8% plastic blend to the bituminous concrete mix. From the laboratory
and field studies it has been found that with the usage of processed plastic in bituminous
concrete mix, the life of the pavement will be enhanced by 2-3 times with addition of 8%
plastic modifier.

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Using Plastic Bottles for Different Civil Construction:

Now a day‟s a passion of construction using waste plastic bottles is growing widely.
This is an innovative method of recycling plastic or plastic bottles. In this method the waste
bottles are collected of same or different size, they are filled with the raw soil or sometimes
the use of ash is made to fill the bottles. These plastic bottles filled with soil or ash and
packed are used as bricks. These bottles are placed in the place of bricks and the different
constructions are made. The above image shows the water tank build with the help of waste
bottles. In this way at some places peoples are building actual homes with the waste plastic
bottles in this way this an different way for recycling the plastic material or plastic bottles.

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Preventive Measures:

Reduced use of plastics:

Plastic pollution can be reduced by using less plastics products and switching to
alternatives. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed
worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year
or in landfills. Now focus on another important part of eco-friendly living: reduce your use of
plastic. Source reduction (Reduce and Reuse) can occur by altering the design, manufacture,
or use of plastic products and materials. For example, the weight of a 2-liter plastic soft drink
bottle has been reduced from 68 grams to 51 grams since 1977, resulting in a 250 million
pound decrease of plastic per year in the waste stream.

Tips for safer, more sustainable use of plastics:

Beware of cling wraps especially for microwave use.

Avoid plastic bottled water.
Minimize the use of canned foods and canned drinks.
Purchase baby bottles and sippy cups or glass options.
Bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store or any store.
Don‟t buy beverages bottles in plastic.
Carry your own reusable steel or ceramic beverage container.
Don‟t buy convenience foods packages in plastic.
Buy bread from bakeries that package in paper.
Buy laundry detergent in boxes, not liquid in plastic containers.
Buy farm fresh eggs in reusable paper containers.
Package your leftovers in corning ware.
Store all your food in glass containers instead of plastic containers.
Buy bulk cereal; bring your own paper bags.
Compost your trash; reduce your use of plastic trash bags.
Line small trash bins in your house with paper bags.
Use cloth rags for clean up around the house.
Use matches instead of plastic encased lighters.
Use cloth napkins. They reduce your waste and use of plastic trash bags.
Use rechargeable batteries to reduce buying batteries packaged in plastic.
Make a compost heap to reduce your food waste and put it back into the earth.
Use a reusable cloth bag to carry your lunch to work or school.
Spread the word, tell people about the harmful chemicals in plastic and help reduce
plastic use.

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Survey of Use of Plastic Carry Bags in Different Shops in My Village

(Unchgaon)
According to my Survey the most of the shop keepers uses plastic carry bags from
one kg packet which generally contains 1000 plastic carry bags. Every shops now a days uses
plastic carry bags either more or less. Most of plastic bags in the shops are used for the
packing and delivery purpose. From all shops Bakery shops, Big Grocery Shops and Meat
shops are the shops where the utilization of plastic carry bags is more.

Following is the count of the different types of shops:

Bakery Shops: 6 Grocery Shops: 10

Meat Shops: 23 Clothing Shops: 15

Hardware Shops: 4 Stationeries: 5

Type of Name of Pattern Plastic Bags No. of Days Average Total amount
Shop Shop of using per Kg for using 1 Kg of Plastic used/ day
Plastic bag
Rohini 4-5 Days 0.25 Kg
Bakery
Rajpurohit 8-10 Days 0.12 Kg
Bakery Bakery KG 1000 Bags/Kg
Shops Aaingar Basis 6-7 Days 0.17 Kg
Bakery
Krishna 10-12 Days 0.10 Kg
Bakery
Total amount of Plastic Bags used Per Day 0.64 Kg

The total bakery Business in the village uses 0.5-1 Kg Plastic Bags per Day

Type of Name of Pattern Plastic Bags No. of Days Average Total amount
Shop Shop of using per Kg for using 1 Kg of Plastic used/ day
Plastic bag
New Kiran 1-2Days 1.0 Kg
Bazaar
Janata 2-3 Days 0.25 Kg
1000
Grocery Bazaar KG
Bags/Kg
Shops Mahalakshmi Basis 3-4 Days 0.30 Kg
Traders
Mangeshwar 10-12 Days 0.10 Kg
Bazaar
Total amount of Plastic Bags used Per Day 1.65 Kg

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The total Grocery Business in the village uses 4-5 Kg Plastic Bags per Day

Type of Name of Pattern Plastic Bags No. of Days Average Total amount
Shop Shop of using per Kg for using 1 Kg of Plastic used/ day
Plastic bag
Nabi 2-3 Days 0.5 Kg
Chicken
Centre
Malik 3-4 Days 0.3 Kg
Chicken 1000
Meat KG
Centre Bags/Kg
Shops Basis
Faizan 4-5 Days 0.2 Kg
Moton Shop
Sitara 4-5 Days 0.2 Kg
Chicken
Centre
Total amount of Plastic Bags used Per Day 1.2 Kg

There are total 23 Meat Shops, so according to above table all the Meat business uses

4-5 Kg of Plastic per Day.

Type of Name of Pattern Plastic Bags No. of Days Average Total amount
Shop Shop of using per Kg for using 1 Kg of Plastic used/ day
Plastic bag
Omkar 4-5 Days 0.2 Kg
Collection
Sai 3-4 Days 0.25 Kg
Collection
Clothing KG 250 Bags/Kg
Sakhi 4-5 Days 0.2 Kg
Shops Basis
matching
center
Mangeshwar 6-7 Days 0.16 Kg
Collection
Total amount of Plastic Bags used Per Day 0.2 Kg

The total Clothing Business in the village uses 2-3 Kg Plastic Bags per Day.

In this way the Hardware and Stationary business uses 1-2 Kg per Day each. According to
above Survey the total 18-20 Kg/Day only carry bags are used. Plastic used in other form is a
different count. Unchgaon is a village with approximate population 50,000 and around 90%
population uses 0Gokul Milk every Morning, So in this way around 10-15 thousand milk
carry bags come to the village. So above is the average input of Plastic Carry Bags in my
village that is Unchgaon.

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Conclusion:
While concluding I would like to say that Plastic is eating our planet. We must take
the corrective action towards it. As an engineer we must try to avoid the use of plastic. Plastic
usage has gone up tremendously in last few decades in India. With the consumption patterns
changing and the purchase power of middle class Indians on the rise, the amount of waste
generated is also on the rise.
Plastic waste forms one of the largest shares of the total municipal waste generated in
the country. In absence of proper regulations and proper management system, the waste has
been cause for concern. Though the recycling activity in the informal sector does prevent a
large part of this waste from going to landfills, the technology and the processes in the
„backyard operation‟ do have their downside. While most recycling of plastics is in the
informal sector there is a very interesting synergy and smooth material flows from informal
to formal sectors. The clear demarcation of the two sectors in plastics recycling gets blurred.
It is also an important fact that almost 60 to 80 % of post consumer plastics is being
recycled and put back to use thus reducing the load on virgin material which perhaps is not so
in many countries in the global North.
The recycling processes in the informal sector contribute to the risks of occupational
safely as well as environmental concerns, as there are no safeguards in place. The formal
sector might be hardly any better as there are no monitoring mechanisms in place. Issues like
cross-contamination of recycled plastics are still at a nascent stage and may need more
research.
Efforts are being made through regulatory frameworks to reduce consumption of
packaging materials and improve end of life management of post consumer plastics.
Implementation of such regulations has been difficult. More efficient collection and recycling
coupled with improved material with biodegradability could be solution for plastics
management.

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Suggestion for Green Plastic Free Environment:

Firstly avoid the use of plastic as much you can.
Reduce the use of plastic carry bags.
Don‟t buy plastic toys to children.
Reduce plastic use as packaging material.
Demand of paper bags or carry your own bags for shopping.
Try to recycle the plastic as much as you can.
Avoid plastic water bottles.
Send waste electronic plastic waste for recycling.
Use matches instead of plastic encased lighters.
Use cloth napkins. They reduce your waste and use of plastic trash bags.
Use baby bottles made of glass.
Use rechargeable batteries to reduce buying batteries packaged in plastic.
Use steel and wooden instruments rather than plastic.
Create awareness between people about the plastic.
Make people literate about plastic.
Don‟t use plastic flex banner for printing digital boards.
Now a days travelling pillows made of plastic are mostly used, please avoid it.

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References:
Plastics and the Environment, A report by Toxic Link 2014
IMPROVING ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROJECT, University of Cambridge
www.google.co.in/wikipedia
A report on “An Introduction to Plastic Recycling 2016” By Plastic Waste
Management Institute

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