Status of Recycling sector in

India

Akash Kamal| Ashu Jain | Atul Nair | Himanshu Sonawane

Recycling In India
India households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in
2012, of which 23% was collected for recycling. This figure is
still quite low compared to some of our neighboring countries
There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled
that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the
environment.
Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and
conserving the environment.
Different Industry covered
Metal
E-waste
Paper

Textile
Tyre
Plastic

Metal Industry : Background

Industry for metal recycling is at a budding stage
Swatch Bharat abhyaan
Problems: 1) Lack of scrap industry ecosystem
2) Lack of regulation
Recycling rates
Indian - 20 25%
The USA - 80 90 %
Europe 70%.

Metal Industry : Global Scenario

Brazil
Highest used beverage cans (UBC) recycling rate in the world
around 98.5 % with power savings of 3.870 GWh.
Japan
With 1850 Municipal scrap dealers and 800 dedicated
suppliers Japan has already shown the way for things to go
GCC
Scrap Metal Centers or SMCs are setup by the government
near industrial areas, ports etc for easy of movement and
lowering costs. SMCs promoted by the Government are
Provided with shredders, separators and other such
infrastructure

The UAE
Major clusters and free zones are situated in Jebel Ali. Dubai
is a key strategic destination to export clean scrap to the
world.

Metal Industry : Recommendations

Removal of the basic import duty on scrap metal
Offer SEZ benefits which will enable industry
status for metal recycling sector
Subsidize lending rates, and increase financing
facilities.
A single window set up for centralized integrated
policies, tax holidays, and lower lending rates.
Support from Central and State Governments to
promote metal recycling
Promoting FDI in Indian metal recycling
Need for a metal recycling zones

E waste : Backdrop
Currently though to be the fastest growing sub
sector within recycling
Efficient recycling of waste electrical and
electronic equipment could be worth 3.7bn to
the European economy by 2020, a new study
has found.
Researchers found that such activities were
already worth 2.15bn in 2014 and could rise to
3.67bn by 2020
Fueled by exponential rise in consumer
electronics and other durables

Sources of E - waste

Recycling Ecosystem : India

Problems and Recommendations

Problems in the sector
1) Low awareness of Workers
2) Dumping of e-waste from developed countries
3) Recycling infrastructure
Recommendations: 1) Product design and engineering norms
2) Waste Management
3) Policy Level interventions
4) Import Export Regulation
5) Clear definition of E-waste for treatment
6) An integrated IT waste management policies
7) Awareness Building

Paper Industry
Only 20% waste paper is being currently recovered
annually. (alternate use of paper in wrapping, packing,
etc.)
Recycled materials are: cereal boxes, egg cartons, pencil
barrels, grocery bags, etc.
Recycling one tonne of waste paper helps in
70% raw material saving
coal saving of 60%
energy 43%
water 70%
which are used in the making of paper from wood.

 Problems Low rate of recovery

unorganized collection of the waste paper, which is confined only to
major towns, and that too only to a limited extent
lack of source segregation resulting in waste paper getting
contaminated and becoming unusable
lack of collection, sorting and grading system of waste paper for
proper utilization

Dependent mainly on imported recycled fibre base

No proper coordination between the informal sector and
the main supply chain of waste paper to paper industry

Benefits

Less energy consumption

Reduce the environmental load on ecosystem
Lowering of the import bill for waste paper
Opportunity for income and employment generation

Current Status
About 550 mills in India use waste paper as
primary fibre source
3 million tonnes is presently recovered and
utilized annually.
4 million tonnes of waste paper is imported.
5 million tonnes of waste paper ends up in
landfills.

Textile Industry
One of the most polluting industries.
Types of waste
Pre-consumer waste (discarded before it is ready for
consumer use)
Post-consumer waste (discarded due to wear and
damage; used or worn clothes)

Practically 25% of the waste gets recycled.

Normally, it is either incinerated or discarded in
landfills.

 Problems faced high costs for collection and sorting of wastes

no financial incentive for waste producers to reduce
waste
lack of market demand for recovered materials
predominance of small and medium recovery and
recycling enterprises (discourages investments in
waste recovery technologies)

Benefits of recycling

reduced cost of raw materials

increased profitability
minimizes costs of disposal
minimizes environmental impacts
requires less energy than any other type of recycling

Current Scenario
Pre-consumer waste
cotton waste paper and tissue paper making, surgical
products like bandages, automobile industry, etc.
exported globally e.g. V P Udyog Ltd., Kolkata
Silk wastes silk accessories and products like bangles,
scarfs, silk embroidery yarn, etc.

Post-consumer waste
Recycling in industries - Panipat (largest industrial
recycling hub) produces shoddy wool yarns, blankets and
quilts out of used winter clothing
Recycling in craft clusters - converts fabric from old cotton
sarees into layers and stitch them together to create
unique patterns and designs
Recycling in households of India - old clothing wipes,
kitchen towels, dusting cloth, at home. Passed down to the
servants and other under privileged people

Tyre Industry
Raw material used in the manufacturing of tyre includes
rubber 41 %, carbon black 28% , steel 15%, other
material 16%
Requirement of tyre is directly related to growth of
automobile sector
Discarded scrap tyre volume is growing at same rate as
the new tyre manufactured
In 1993, scrapped tyre volume was more than 75 million
cubic meter
Pyrolysis & incineration of tyres helps in recovery of
materials and energy.

Retreading of tyre

Retreading of tyre is being practiced to extend the life of a tyre by

replacing worn tread of the used tyre
There are two ways by which retreading of tyres can be achived
Hot cap process
Cold Process (more reliable)

The precured rubber is being manufactured in India by six

manufactures.
Only two of these firms have technical collaborations with foreign
manufacturers where as four firms have developed the technology
indigenously
The available capacity for procured tyres retreading is approx 4.8
million truck and bus tyres and 4.5 million car and jeep tyres per year.
Bureau of Indian Standard is preparing standards for retreaded tyres.

 The most promising field of utilization of scrap

tyres is use of tyre crumb as asphalt modifier.
8-15% of crumb can be used in construction &
maintenance of roads.
Various advantages include improved skid
resistance, increased flexibility, toughness,
tenacity of road surface, reduced noise level of
traffic, improved performance under extreme
temperature conditions
A trial track has been laid near Allahabad

 Incineration when tyre alone or with fossil fuel

is burnt in an incinerator/boiler with excess air
for its compete combustion the extent of air
pollution is significantly reduces
Steel Zinc and gypsum are the useful byproducts of the incineration process
Another process is Pyrolysis its for recovery of
fuel gases, chemical fuel oil, carbon black

Plastic
India currently has no official systems for collecting and recycling plastic
waste; nor are there overarching initiatives by private or public sector
At present, collection focuses mainly on thermoplastics and is confined
to conurbations and industrial centres, where there are more recycling
businesses.
The downside is that methods practiced do not necessarily lead to
secondary materials of the highest quality.
Nor can the small-scale business guarantee a steady flow of recyclates
of standard quality, which limits commercial use.
Today, Indians are aware of the value of recycled plastic, but the
potential has not been fully tapped, and only a fraction of the
theoretically available waste is being recycled at all.
Chintan Recycling Center in Delhi

Recommendations
For small & medium scale enterprizes recycling plastics is attractive
buisness.
policy and judicial measures can ensure that more waste is collected
for recycling
Quality management and control systems, for example, could
guarantee that recycled material is of a uniform high standard.
Automated sorting systems would be another major advance, because
the plastics collected in India at present are still pre-sorted by hand.
Introduce up-to-date technology
Currently we are using plastic waste to use it as plastic raw material
We can use plastic feedstock as oil, gases for other purposes

Waste Management Start-ups in India

Vermigold
Vermigold is an on-site organic waste recycling Systems Company which
conglomerates advanced vermiculture biotechnology with cutting edge engineering to
empower end users to recycle organic waste in a worry free and eco-friendly manner.
Vermigold ecotech has earned the 2013 Energy Globe award from India. It is Indias first
and only internationally certified waste management system that certifies their organisation
as best in class and kindest to the environment
http://vermigold.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=5
Greenobin
It is a Gurgaon based start-up that is focussed on collecting paper waste and market the
same to paper recycling plants for further use. Its services include, Office Recycling,
Security Shredding, and recycling bins. The start initially focuses on corporate offices,
followed by school/colleges and households as primary customers. Greenobin offers free
service as well as Premium services (which includes, training, customized bins, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ4Qd7wnZAM

Waste Management Start-ups in India

Attero, Electronics Asset Management Company
Attero is Indias largest integrated end-to-end electronics asset
management company. Attero aims to surge value for all electronic
inventories, right from end of life electronics to surplus and second electronics,
while ensuring a safer and extra secure future for the planet. It is mainly
concerned with E-waste mining.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2figCLWxa5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsvGMvy1yHI
A2Z Group
A2Z Group is a versatile business group with 30000 employees that contribute
to its Pan India Geographic presence. Incepted in 2002, the turnover for the
financial year 2013 is 934.3 Crores. The group had a CAGR of 100.69% over
the past 10 years from FY04-FY13.

Synergy Waste Management (P) Ltd.

It is unique leading service providers for Bio-Medical waste management in
India. Promoters are the Rawalwasia Group. They are usually operators of
Mutual Bio-medical waste treatment amenities, part of urban infrastructure in
India. Areas of procedures are New Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Hisar, Bhagalpur
and Gaya. It is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications. Also, it is the
major Indian home grown operator of CBWTFs.
Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Pvt Ltd.
Timarpur-Okhla Municipal Solid waste management project is the primary
commercial wasteto- energy facility in India that wishes to convert one-third
of the Delhi garbage into the much needed electricity, enough to helping 6 lakh
homes. The project is CDM is registered with United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change for receiving Carbon Credits.

Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt. Ltd.

Antony waste handling cell, an offshoot of Antony group of companies, Mumbai is one of the
leading players in the field of Solid waste management services in the country, since the
past 8 years. It has features as Engineered Sanitary land filling, Refuse Transfer stations, etc.
UPL Environmental Engineers Ltd.
UPL has always made conscious efforts in maintaining and improving standards of
environmental care. This group roofed the experts in environmental care. The name includes,
Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., Enviro Technology Ltd., Gharpure Engineering and
Construction Pvt. Ltd
Eco-wise
Headquartered at Noida, India. Eco-wise waste management delivers complete waste
management services to a variety of establishments comprising residential, commercial
and industrial entities. They ensure that, the waste composed by them are treated and
predisposed in accordance with MSW Rules 2000. Eco-wise is an ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001
Certifications. It is presently collecting waste from Centre Stage Mall, Noida, Haldiram, ATS, etc.