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

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