Protoprint showcases recycling value chain and recycled products of waste pickers at the Plastic Recycling Show, India.
Kashtakari Panchayat, with Project Protoprint — a waste picker-led plastic recycling initiative supported by the European Union — participated in the Plastic Recycling Show (PRS) at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from December 4th to 6th, 2024. The national conference presented an opportunity to showcase the innovative, inclusive, and end-to-end traceable municipal waste management and processing of rigid plastics from municipal waste by the waste pickers of Pune.
The Plastics Recycling Show India (PRS India) is an annual exhibition and conference for plastics recycling professionals. It brings together key players from the plastics and recycling sectors to network, learn, and explore business opportunities in plastic recycling. The event provided a platform to meet key stakeholders from leading organisations, exhibit our products, establish business contacts, and explore new innovations and technologies in plastic recycling. Project Protoprint demonstrated its waste pickers-led initiative, supported by the European Union, where waste pickers manufacture various products such as recycled PP, HDPE granules, and 3D printing filament.
Representatives of Project Protoprint and IIT Bombay interact with the visitors at PRS, India.
Experience at PRSI
Project Protoprint’s stall (P-652), represented by Rajiv Singh and Ranjit Patole at Bombay Exhibition Centre witnessed a footfall of over 200 visitors over 2 days. The majority of these attendees were traders working with recycled materials, students, product manufacturers, and plastic recyclers. The visitors showed great interest in understanding the intricate value chain of the Waste Picker owned Collection, Sourcing, and Recycling.
At the stall, we provided a detailed overview of the Protoprint operations, covering essential aspects such as waste collection, waste segregation, and storage. We also highlighted the cooperative scrap shop model and showcased the critical role of waste pickers in driving the recycling activities. Importantly, we emphasised the crucial support we received from the European Union, which has been instrumental in making this inclusive waste pickers driven recycling process a reality.
Through engaging and discussing, Protoprint team successfully conveyed the impact of this collaborative, waste-picker-led initiative, inspiring participants to explore ways in which they can contribute to or expand their own sustainability efforts.
Visitors were also keen to learn about the 3-D printing process using the recycled plastic, the technical queries about the 3-D printing filament were promptly addressed by the IIT Bombay team, which has partnered with the Project Protoprint.
We encountered 20-30 traders who expressed interest in exploring business opportunities with us. They tried to understand our modus of operation, and the production capacity of the unit. They assessed the quality of the recycled materials using their conventional methods and also reviewed the technical data sheets and test reports of the recycled granules to ascertain granules’ quality. Few manufacturers enquired about the value chain, presence of such waste pickers centric inclusive value chain in the other parts of the country, certifications such as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) of the recycled granules.
Amongst the interested traders, 10-15 traders and product manufacturers inquired about :
(a) Whether under-billed transaction (reducing the transaction is possible)
(b) Whether the billing can take place without the GST tax component.
(c) Whether we can accept payments in cash instead of bank transfers.
Participation in the Plastic Recycling Show, India gave us a brief idea about the industrial requirements in terms of recycled products certification and exposure to the recycled plastic market’s routine practices -such as preferred billing and transaction modes.
Highlighting the contribution of informal waste pickers in India
Lubna Anantakrishnan, leading efforts at Kashtakari Panchayat to protect and enhance livelihoods for informal waste pickers, highlighted their vital role in India’s recycling sector during a panel discussion on Addressing the gaps: A deep dive into the state of collection and sorting in India. She also addressed the systemic challenges waste pickers face nationwide as a Program Committee Member of the Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers. The challenges include lack of recognition, unfair pay, and limited social welfare access, despite being pivotal to India’s recycling rate, which exceeds the global average. Lubna emphasized the need for inclusive recycling to sustain and dignify this essential work, like Protoprint.