Turning a Threat
into an Opportunity ?
---------------------------------------------
Non-biodegradable plastic is posing a
grave threat to the environment
Here are some plastic facts :
·
Production [ Worldwide ]
#
1950…………………. 2 Million tons
#
2017……………….. 8.3 Billion tons
#
2050 ( Est )……… 34 Billion tons
·
Plastic Waste Estimates
·
#
2020………………. 30 Million tons
#
2025………………. 70 Million tons
[ 25 % of this will be marine debris ]
·
50 % of the plastic we use is thrown away after SINGLE USE
·
Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth FOUR TIMES
·
We only recover 5 % of the
plastic we produce
·
More than ONE MILLION plastic
bags are used EVERY MINUTE
·
Approximately 500 BILLION plastic
bags are used worldwide annually
·
Plastic accounts for around 10 %
of the total waste we generate
·
The production of plastic uses around 8
% of the world’s oil production
·
Plastic in the ocean breaks down into small segments ; pieces from a ONE LITRE bottle could end up on EVERY MILE of beach THROUGHOUT the WORLD
Over the past decade, we have produced
more plastic than during the whole of last century
In
the recent past , there is a growing awareness of the hazard posed by the
plastic to the environment and ( among many ) , Maharashtra
Government is trying to come up with rules / regulations concerning
production / sale / storage / use of plastic bags / bottles / packages etc
There
have also been sporadic attempts for recycling
of plastic waste , including using it for constructing roads / highways ( claimed to be of excellent
strength ! )
Some
entrepreneurs have even constructed small
houses using discarded plastic bottles
Times of India ( 07
Nov 2017 ) carried following news :
Around 450 quake-resistant ‘dome houses’, each made of a dozen polystyrene foam pieces
glued together, put up by a health
resort in Japan are drawing visitors from across Asia.
The domes
withstood last year’s deadly earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture, where
the Aso resort is located, said manager Masaya Konishi.
Japan Dome House, the company that makes the polystyrene
pieces used in the structures, says that after the 2016 earthquakes, sales
spiked two to three-fold
Houses
constructed with either foam or with empty / discarded plastic bottles , are
not only light weight but also sound-proof
and heat-proof ( air acting as
insulation )
That made me
ask :
Can we turn this “ threat “ into an “ opportunity “ ?
Here is how
:
·
By all means , discourage manufacture / use of ROUND shaped plastic bottles
·
·
Encourage ( Start-Ups : take note ) , manufacture of SQUARE shaped bottles , having square and flat TOPS ( lids ) and BOTTOMS
·
·
Standardize the SQUARENESS of
these bottles ( of different widths ) in such a way that :
#
These are STACKABLE
( one on top of another )
#
The smaller ones can slide
inside the bigger ones ( like plastic garden chairs )
#
Flat sides carry vertical grooves for “ nesting “ one bottle over another (
like
lego
)
#
Just like screw-able “ lid “ , consider screw-able
“ bottom “ as well . This will
Enable removing those “ lids
“ and “ bottoms “ and screw-up the central
part of the bottle onto another bottle , to create a “ Column “ or a “ Beam “ of
a house
I
have a feeling that this innovation will , not only solve the problem of
discarded plastic bottles but , at the same time , provide cheap / durable / small ( single story )
houses for millions of our poor homeless
, who will be happy to pick up the discarded bottles from everywhere and build
those simple houses ( roof and walls ) on a DIY basis
I urge Shri Ratan Tata to
take up this “ Innovation Research “ , considering his interest in this subject
, as evident from my following blog
Monday,
16 January 2012
A People’s Home ?
If
India’s TATA group can deliver a People’s Car
for Rs 100,000 ( Euro 1700 ), then why not a People’s Home for Rs. 32,000 ( Euro 500 ) ?
That
is the question that Sumitesh Das –
Chief of Tata Steel’s global research program – must have asked his colleagues.
As
per DNA Money ( 16 July, 2011 ), the
answer was, “ Yes of course ! Why not ?
“
So,
they came up with following specifications for People’s
Home :
Ø
Flat roof with an area of 20 square meter for Rs.32,000
Ø
Upgraded 30
Sq Meter model to cost Rs 44,000
( Euro 700 )
Ø
Pre-fabricated kit containing all parts
Ø
Kit to have significant amount of “ non-steel “ components
Ø
Kits to be manufactured ( under license
), all over India, in order to generate local
employment
Ø
People’s Home must last about 20 years
Ø
Buyer should be able
to assemble himself within 7 days
For
India, with a current shortfall of 25.7 million
dwellings, this is nothing short of a technological breakthrough !
Deliveries
are expected to start within next few months.
Congratulations, Sumitesh !
24
Dec 2017
www.hemenparekh.in
/ blogs
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