Recycling PET bottles made easy

Packaged water giant Bisleri group has established an initiative to control the growing menace of plastic bottles, a common eyesore across the city. They have installed a plastic bottle- recycling machine at Vashi’s Inorbit mall where plastic bottles, especially mineral water bottles will be crushed into flakes. These flakes will be used to make new plastic items including carpets, fabrics and car parts. According to Bisleri, this is the first time where such machines have been installed anywhere in India.
Ramesh Chauhan, chairman of Bisleri group, reasons, “Rag pickers collect glass bottles, PVC plastic items but not PET plastic bottles used for packaged mineral water as they do not earn money after selling these. So these add to the litter, which go for landfilling. However, PET bottles can be reused to make new items after recycling them. We decided to install recycling machines at points for people to rid of bottles in a safe way. We installed this machine after receiving a positive response from this mall.” The recycling machine was developed by the joint venture of the technical wing of Bisleri and Bio Crux Company. The machine, with a recycling capacity of over 10,000 bottles per day has been developed with the highest safety measures so even kids can operate it. Ajay Mishra of Bio Crux adds, “There’s a sensor in the machine, which ensures only plastic bottles can be crushed.” Bisleri plans to install nearly 5,000 recycling machines across India in the next few years. “These machines will be installed at malls, railway stations, airports, market areas with the help of NGOs, municipal corporations. At least 50 such machines will be seen across Mumbai in 2012,” says Chauhan.