Thrissur: A former NRI who is into PVC pipe manufacturing has come up with a technology to recycle all kinds of plastic wastes, including rexin, flex and thermocol.
However, entrepreneur Jacob Kollannur of Nellikunnu did not get a proper response from the state government after he presented the project at an investors' meeting held at Maradu in Ernakulam organized by the state Suchitwa Mission in January 2017.
Hence, he has approached the Chennai Corporation with the project plan and it has agreed to provide him free land, water and electricity at three places in Chennai to set up the plants.
"At present the plastic collection points in Kerala are not accepting materials like thermocol, plastic chappals, flex, rexin and empty plastic cement sacks. But in my unit set up for trial in Coimbatore, I melt and recycle all these wastes, including e-waste and concrete waste, to make roof tiles and solid blocks which are stronger than roof tiles made of clay and solid blocks presently available in the market," he said.
The officials of Chennai Corporation visited his unit in Coimbatore and offered him all the facilities to start the plants.
"I will sign an agreement with the corporation for 30 years and the civic body has promised to provide me at least five tonnes of plastic waste free of cost per day," he noted.
The strength test report of solid block made of waste materials at the material testing civil engineering lab at Government Engineering College here shows the average value at 18.68 N/mm2 (newtons per millimetre square).
Jacob said that for the normal concrete blocks, it is 2.5 to 12.4 N/mm2.
Interlock bricks for laying on roads and for making sea walls could also be manufactured using plastic waste, he said.
