Plastic Waste: How Different Countries Are Tackling Plastic And What India Can Learn

Have you ever wondered what happens to the plastic bags, spoons, pet bottles and other such products which you use and discard almost on a daily basis? No, right? Plastic is a product that takes around 500 to 1000 years to completely degrade due to the presence of complex polymers. This means that every bit of plastic manufactured or used by us till date still exists somewhere on the planet.

India will soon witness the repercussions of using plastic extensively. About 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste is produced in India daily, of which about 9,000 tonnes is recycled. The remaining waste clutters landfills and clogs drains. India can probably learn a lesson or two from how other countries are tackling their plastic waste.

Make Way For Uganda's Plastic House: Mirro David from Kampala, Uganda has found a way to solve the problem of both, plastic waste and housing. Mirro is constructing houses using plastic bottles filled with soil. These houses are cost effective as the materials used are readily available. Apart from building house, Mirro is teaching margianlised youth the art of constructing houses using bottles.
Go To Sea In A Plastic Boat: Ditch traditional boats made of wood, steel and aluminum and get ready to sail in a boat made using plastic bottles. The students in Cameroon are turning discarded plastic bottles into boats. With these strong and seaworthy plastic bottle boats, the students are not only protecting the environment, but also helping fishermen.
Recycled 3-D Sunglasses: To ease the burden of plastic, a Belgium based startup is printing 3D sunglasses out of recycled plastic. In a bid to encourage people to use these glasses, the company has come up with five unique designs and three different colors of lenses. The company also urges people to return the glasses once they are done using these, so that it can be recycled into a new pair of glasses.

ReTuna: A Hub Of Recycled Products: Taking the plastic management game a step higher, Sweden has opened a shopping mall called ReTuna, completely dedicated to upcycled products. The staff at ReTuna repairs the items dropped by people for restoring and then sells only repaired or upcycled products. With this, the mall has created 50 odd jobs.
Walk And Ride On Plastic In Scotland: MacRebur, a Scotland based company came up with a way to build stronger and durable roads using recycled plastic. Plastic roads are 60% more durable and last around 10 times longer than roads built using asphalt. Along with solving the problem of plastic pollution, the company is also replacing the need for a wasteful material called bitumen with MR6.