Shayna Ecounified: Paving Sustainable Pathways
“There will be more plastic in ocean than fish (by weight) by 2050” –Ellen MacArthur Foundation
“Average human consumes credit card size (5 grams) of microplastics every week” – WWF
“91% plastic is not recycled and thus continues to exist for thousands of years” – National Geographic
“There will be more plastic in ocean than fish (by weight) by 2050” –Ellen MacArthur Foundation
“Average human consumes credit card size (5 grams) of microplastics every week” – WWF
“91% plastic is not recycled and thus continues to exist for thousands of years” – National Geographic
How disturbing are these facts? Some of us are aware of the cost that the human choices impose on the environment, other life forms, and the Earth. The wonder material plastic has become one of the significant problems for our planet.
Invented in 1907, it has become an irreplaceable part of our lives. Due to its high utility in varied forms, shapes, and sizes, it is the disposal and recycling stage that becomes problematic. It’s a large component of the general litter and landfills. In 2015, the world discarded about 4600 million tons of plastic! Today, the number is of course higher.
Plastic items block the drain and sewer lines. Also, animals on land and in the oceans, unfortunately, end up consuming them. Plastic is also found in the form of microplastics around the polar caps and the highest mountain peaks of the world.
Thus, many experts, entrepreneurs, and governments around the world are working independently as well as collectively to clean up the gigantic mess that humans generate. Among these, Shayna EcoUnified has come up with an innovative path to deal with the plastic problem.
Today’s article is brought to you by the folks at ulaunch, an entrepreneurship focused media cum social consulting platform seeking to address the challenges faced by society.
Penned by Subhav Duggal, the following article introduces you to a unique sustainable solution for plastic recycling crafted by Shayna EcoUnified.
Established in 2017 in Greater Noida by Paras and Sandeep, it primarily deals with manufacturing paver tiles and value-added products made from recycled plastics. These tiles can be used in offices, pavements and parking lots. They had built the idea from scratch, building up their expertise in plastic recycling and understanding the value chains. They wanted to offer a new product that can be made by recycling discarded plastics. The R&D required substantial resources but gave positive results in the durability of the products.
The recycled-plastic tiles meet demanding conditions like heat and water resistance, high tensile strength-bearing loads of around 40 tons, anti-microbial properties, etc. They have even got the paver tiles patented.
The organization procures segregated plastics from sellers, as not all plastics can undergo multiple cycles of recycling. The tiles have a life of more than 50 years and are completely safe for human use. The best part is that the tiles can be again recycled after their end of use to make new products like chairs, dustbins, etc.
Despite the products having higher economic cost than the concrete paver tiles, the environmental benefits far surpass that of the latter thus making the recycled plastic tiles the better choice. This has led to a substantial market across both the private and public sectors. Awareness among conscious decision-makers also play a critical role. The combined efforts have led to the recycling of more than 420 tons of plastic since its inception, which is quite significant. Such are the results that even locals have sent plastics collected from their neighborhoods and offices. However, Shayna EcoUnified had to refuse from accepting as they require segregated plastics for further processing. This shows that many people want to make better life choices, but do not know the right way to realize them.
The story of these innovative recycled-plastic tiles does not end here. There’s more. Continue reading the article.
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