A small entrepreneur in Kamrangirchar area in Dhaka has made cost-effective pavement tiles for the first time in Bangladesh by recycling alarmingly increased plastic waste, one of the factors of environmental degradation.
"I have already produced 1,000 pieces of tiles by recycling plastic waste. I am very optimistic that these tiles will be commercially viable as they are more cost-effective and durable compared to ceramic tiles," Nazir Hossain, who turned the plastic waste into assets, told BSS.
The plastic tile was formally launched yesterday by displacing at the "Poribesh Mela (environment fair) 2023" marking World Environment Day under the theme of “solution to plastic pollution".
This innovation seems to give a new idea to the country's waste experts who are desperately looking for durable solutions to manage plastic waste while nearly 650 tons of plastic waste have been collected daily only in Dhaka.
Nazir, the owner of Hossain engineering workshop in Kamrangirchar, thanked a local non-government organization named Resource Integration Center (RIC) that facilitated him to turn his innovation into reality.
The RIC with the support of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) has been implementing a pilot waste management project named Sustainable Enterprise Project (SEP) in Kamrangirchar, Lalbagh, Islambag and Shyampur areas under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
"Our project objective is to develop manufacturing units for producing improved durable, attractive plastic materials as well to participate in community development for ensuring environment-friendly atmosphere," said Zahir Uddin Ahmed, project coordinator of the SEP.
Apart from helping the community to ensure environment-friendly plastic waste management systematically, he said they are also working to introduce different innovations to produce tiles, bricks and even fuels from plastic waste.
Nazir, who has been making moulds and patterns for plastic items for a long, said the plastic tiles are cost-effective and lighter compared to ceramic tiles.
"One day, I have seen that the city corporation was constructing footpaths in front of my workshop with earthen tiles. That day, I thought why should I not try to make tiles by recycling plastic waste," he said while sharing his story.
Nazir said he shared his idea with the local NGO and took a soft loan to set for making a mould to produce the tiles.
"I collected raw materials from plastic waste and tried my luck," he added.
He fixed the price of 11/7.5-inch plastic tiles that weighed 280-300 grams at Tk42 which is cheaper than the traditional ceramic tiles.
"I keep the price low so that everyone even in villages can use these tiles," he added.
After making the tiles, Nazir, with the help of RIC, sent his products to the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) for quality testing where he received a positive certificate that his plastic tiles could be used commercially.
Abdus Salam Akand, professor of the mechanical engineering department at Buet, said they took 12 tests to check the materials and found that as a first version of the product, the quality is overall good.
"But, there is scope to further improve the tiles," he said adding that improvement of a product through RnD is a continuous process.
The professor said the plastic tiles will not be a substitute for the ceramic ones, but can be used for different purposes.
"As it is lighter and durable people can use it on their rooftop or it can be used on footpaths and workshops," he said.
There are seven types of plastic on the earth; so all types of plastics can be used as raw materials for producing tiles. Among the types, LDP, HDP and PP are more effective to produce tiles due to market price.
Akand said the plastic tiles would be reused through recycling after their lifetime.
"Plastic tiles have the potentials to be used on a commercial basis if the entrepreneurs can produce it in large volume," he added.
SEP project coordinator said they named the tiles 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) tiles to promote the recycling of plastic waste.
"Now, we are trying to make a linkage between the entrepreneurs and developers and government bodies so that these recycled tiles would be commercially used," he said adding that plastic tiles are even easier to install than concrete or clay tiles.
This kind of tiles made from plastic waste has already been used on a commercial basis in India, Egypt, Kenya, and some other countries.
RIC Project Coordinator Ahmed said they have been working with other entrepreneurs to produce bricks and fuel out of plastic waste.
Though approximately 5,110 registered plastic manufacturing units engaged 1.5 million people generating business worth Tk30,000 crore annually for the domestic market, only 37.2% is recycled while annual per capita plastic consumption in Dhaka alone is 22.25kg.
The government has set a target to recycle 50% of plastics by 2025 under its National Action Plan for sustainable plastic management.
