Vizag to get 25-TPD plastic recycling unit

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam will soon get a 25-tonne-per-day (TPD) integrated plastic recycling unit at the existing Kapuluppada dumping yard. For this, the Swachha Andhra Corporation has floated an expression of interest to set up an integrated plastic recycling and value-added manufacturing unit.The project is expected to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in landfills, drains and the sea by bringing it back into the manufacturing cycle. According to officials, the proposed facility will serve Visakhapatnam as well as neighbouring municipalities and urban local bodies within a 250-km radius. It will also source plastic waste from industries and authorised aggregators and convert it into high-quality recycled plastic pellets or granules for use as industrial raw material.The project comes at a time when plastic waste continues to pose a major environmental challenge for Visakhapatnam. Despite the ban on single-use plastics, thin plastic carry bags, food packaging covers and disposable plastic items remain widely used across the city. Municipal officials estimate that hundreds of tonnes of plastic waste are generated every month, much of which is difficult to recycle because it is contaminated or mixed with other municipal waste.

A significant quantity eventually finds its way into stormwater drains, canals, and sea.While larger plastic items are often collected by the informal recycling sector, low-value plastic films, multilayered packaging and sachets frequently end up in dumping yards or the environment due to the lack of organised recycling infrastructure.A key strength of the project is its extensive waste collection network.

The concessionaire will source municipal plastic waste from GVMC and other urban local bodies within a 250-km radius of Visakhapatnam, effectively covering much of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, including Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Alluri Sitharama Raju district.The plant will also receive industrial plastic scrap from packaging, injection moulding and consumer goods industries across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, besides procuring material from authorised recyclers, scrap dealers and aggregators.The EoI also allows limited imports of clean industrial plastic scrap or additives through Visakhapatnam Port, ensuring uninterrupted raw material supply whenever necessary.By converting waste into a marketable industrial raw material, the project seeks to reduce landfill disposal while supporting Andhra Pradesh’s circular economy policy objectives and the Swachh Bharat Mission (urban).Environmental safeguards form one of the most important aspects of the project. The plant follows a zero-waste concept, under which wastewater generated during the washing process will be treated through a scientifically designed 50 KLD effluent treatment plant. The treated water will be reused for green belt irrigation, plantation and landscaping within the premises or discharged to a nearby sewage treatment plant.