Production of plastic waste worldwide increased by two-thirds to 460 million tonnes between 2009 and 2019 and is expected to triple by 2060.
We may have plenty of opportunity for analogies because it only takes these shopping bags 1,000 years to decompose, which should stress the severity of the issue. If stacked, these bags would travel 5,790 times to and from the moon.
Describe Concept Loop
Dabeer Hemani, co-founder of Concept Loop, said, “We have been working in the field of sustainable building materials for about ten years. But we recently understood how plastic trash can be transformed into a one-of-a-kind opportunity.”
He claimed that because recycled plastic is used to make partition boards, decorative sheets. And paver blocks for walkways and walk-in areas. Concept Loop is working to find solutions to both the problem of plastic waste and also for the rapid degradation of traditional building materials.
By the end of the year, Concept Loop hopes to increase the statistics to 170,000 kg. And 589,000 kg, respectively, from the current 20,000 kg of plastic. It claims to have countered with 69,000 kg of environmental savings.
But it’s not so easy to build up a viable plastic recycling system in a developing nation. Since they haven’t stated the cost, we don’t know whether or when this sort of technology will be made commercially available or how practical it will be.
While additional goods like divider boards and ornamental sheets are also in various phases of development. The company is currently working on concrete blocks used for pathways. And parking spaces with plans to exclusively commercialize those at this time.
Regarding Plastic Recycling Technologies: Fact and Fiction
Globally, there are almost a dozen different plastic recycling techniques in use. Which includes traditional chemical and mechanical recycling, organic recycling (using microbes). Also monomer recycling (breaking down plastic into smaller pieces to create virgin plastic). And utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and robotics to automate the laborious gathering and sorting processes. But none of these have been able to considerably expand their market share.
Using enzyme technology, Carbios, a French biotech business, is working to remove 95% of the substances from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Which is commonly used in beverage bottles and packaging. But it may present its own challenges due to the substrate specificity of enzymes. And the need for highly optimized environments. Enzymatic recycling is also being investigated.
Uncertain Future
If the general public in Pakistan weren’t already price sensitive enough, the construction industry has just been slammed by a historically high price increase. Additionally, the private sector lacks incentives to alter its business model. and lean more toward sustainability, with the exception of a small number of multinational corporations with an international clientele.
Hemani admitted, “People aren’t ready to pay ‘green premiums’ for sustainable alternatives yet. So we shifted toward bottom-of-the-pyramid plastics to reduce costs and figure out profitable unit economics.” He also disclosed that they gradually created their own locally produced machineries to lessen their reliance on imports. And that today, over 95% of their supplies and chemicals are supplied locally.
Speaking of government support for the industry, Hemani acknowledged the current lack of it and the significance of it. He added that the most recent Extended Plastic Responsibility (EPR) Act and the few plastic bag ban laws in Punjab are encouraging. They are still insignificant compared to the scope of the issue.
Pakistan produces almost 3 million tons of plastic waste annually, with Punjab alone producing almost 1.22 million tonnes. But in Pakistan’s largest province, which includes the cities of Lahore, Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, and Gujrat, only 19.2 percent of plastic is recycled.
The mission should go on
Despite all the obstacles, Pakistan lags far behind the developed world where people are at least trying to bring about change. And where there is a greater level of public understanding. And purchasing power to make these solutions financially viable.
However, innovation will come from pushing the limits of plastic recycling technology. And these efforts also inspire hope in the future of sustainability where it may both actualize a circular economic model. This model benefits us all and provide an answer to the environmental dilemma.
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