Modeling Case

Develop the framework for a model of the life cycle of rigid plastic within a city (like outside garbage bins, those roadside orange traffic direction cones or bowling balls). The framework should resemble Figure 24.4 but provide more detail in the use stage. What information will be easy to acquire, what difficult? What useful results might be anticipated from utilizing the model? What are some contingencies that might occur to skew model results toward uselessness? Hell, you know bowling balls could, might, maybe become discovered as the only environmentally benign bass boat anchors. What happens to the sport of bowling then? The tubes, I’m thinking; down the tubes.

             MODEL OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF RIGID PLASTIC WITHIN                                                                                      

                                A CITY LIKE GARBAGE BINS     

Of late, the responsibility for packages to the end of their life cycle, including the cost of recycling after the consumers discard their packages is being shifted to the Industry sector.  The rigid plastic dumped in huge garbage collection boxes including them also are materials discarded by residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, and includes paper, food, packaging, yard waste and appliances. The main issue primarily is the sorting at the initial stage. The materials collected have to be sorted  into various categories like paper, cloth, and  rigid plastics.

Out put

In Put

The above diagram represents the responsibilities of various organizations in this regard.

                            PLAN FOR WASTE COLLECTION

                               AND FURTHER PROCESS

Initially Garbage Bins are  kept for reusable plastic waste as well other forms of public waste like paper and cloth. They are used to collect all forms of waste.

After central sorting, paper, clothing etc are separated  and sent to the incineration, where they are used for  heating energy which saves the use of alternate energy.   recycling companies for regranulation and reuse.  Use of this regranulated material helps in avoiding the use of virgin plastic  material resulting in substantial savings at the national scale. Thus the recovery of plastic from households, industry and aquaculture has been more successful in terms of cost efficiency. The only argument that high grade material plastic will have to be downgraded to low grade does not materially mitigate the benefits of the system.

Now let us analyze the system of collection of waste material. It has been argued that separate bins might be kept for collecting the plastic and other ingredients.  But even in advanced economies it was not found practical as citizens have no time to do this sorting by themselves.

At all levels, from National to the municipal, the will to implement this sorting and incinerating program will have to be inculcated and imbibed by citizens themselves in order to effect substantial  savings in power and virgin plastic requirements.

The main problems faced in the controlling and optimizing of the life cycle of plastic is the  inadequacy of number of Garbage bins and cost of collection of  garbage at frequent intervals and transportation of the same to Recycling Agents. Many Municipalities,  town councils and State authorities have left it to Individual players, who collect the plastic garbage at tuppence and sell it to the Recycle manufacturers.  However when left to the Recycle  Industries, commercial outlook comes into play with very little concern for environmental haphazard’s but changes should be carried in the design of source separation and central sorting stage of life cycle of plastic .      .In other words, obstacles to the recovery of ideal plastic will have to be identified at all levels.

 Socio economic factors are also  playing a major share in this important scenario.  Level of education of the  household members and their domestic staff also come into play.

At the social level the habits of the population in cleanliness and conduct contribute whereas in economic level the incomes and expenditure of the families, clubs and public

Awareness.

Plasatic has  been quite useful to the humanity.  In due course biodegradable plastics will be synthesized and used.  But until that time, Govt, Business and public will have to find ways to cooperate, help and supplement each others’ efforts to utilize the plastics to the maximum benefit of humanity.

Eik, A (2001). Extended producer responsibility in practice: Recycling of plastic packaging from households in the municipality of Trondheim, Norway. Working paper

Jänicke, M. (2000). Ecological Modernization: Innovation and Diffusion of Policy and Technology, FFU-report 00-08.

Opoku, H.N. (1999). A Grand Objective lost in the Waste Bin? Local Agenda 21 and solid waste reduction in the Norwegian municipality of Trondheim. IndEcol report No:3/1999.

Spaargaren, G. (2000). Ecological Modernization Theory and Domestic Consumption, in Journal of Environmentl policy and planning, 2:323-335.