Publication

Abstract : Annual consumption of plastic materials in India is predicted to surge from 12 × 106 T to 20 × 106 T by 2020, posing a severe environmental threat. Most of the plastics are either incinerated or discarded due to India’s substandard waste management infrastructure. The lack of adequate sanitation facilities portents paucity of personal hygiene through open defecation in rural communities. There is an urgent need for the utilization of the available human resources to address these challenges. The paper includes case studies on waste management measures in Ranchi (the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand) and Bhubaneswar (the capital of the Indian state of Odisha), along with sanitation challenges in the villages of Dewgain and Gupdapada. These case studies accentuate the need for a single solution for confronting waste management and sanitation infrastructure implementation. A potential remedy has been explored by developing interlocking plastic bricks composed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and raw construction materials. The structured system was proposed to incorporate state government initiatives in collaborative partnerships with the urban and rural sectors, to establish an open defecation free (ODF) hygienic environment.