Welcome to the second of my two-part series on waste management in India. If you missed the first part on challenges, I suggest giving that a quick read这里在阅读本周的故事之前。This article originally appeared in our Circularity Weekly newsletter.Subscribe to the newsletter here.
我很难用简单地描述我最近去印度南部的旅程。我们无法在行星所能提供和吸收的范围内生活在旅行的前两天。我们看到的是对人类的起诉。在最初的24小时内，我们小组的一个成员甚至足够明智，可以鼓励我们保持彼此之间的对话，以免陷入抑郁症。
坦白说，在前两天之后，我没有想象力，看看如何改善情况。对我来说幸运的是，对于我们所有人来说，有些人确实有想象力有所作为。
重新利用全球
印度之行的召集人和我们看到的所有工作的促进者是重新利用全球. This young company, founded by three Wharton School grads, is on a mission to solve the plastic pollution problem. The amazing thing about rePurpose is just how fast it’s grown. Founded in 2016, the company already has more than 50 employees and is operating projects in five countries. These projects range from removing ocean-bound plastic from the environment to enhanced sorting and new revenue streams for material recovery facilities through plastic credits. The projects remove more than 19 million pounds of waste every year that would otherwise be destined for the environment, according to the company.
This may be a good time for me to introduce the concept of plastic credits. A plastic credit can be thought of in similar terms to a renewable electricity credit or a carbon offset. When a company purchases a plastic credit, it is paying for someone to capture 1 kilogram of plastic that would otherwise be destined for the environment in order to offset 1 kg of plastic it has put out in the world. If this method works as written, companies that sell products in hard to recycle packaging (think breakfast/granola bars, pet food, snack bags, etc.) can mitigate their environmental impact while they look for better packaging solutions.
我对这个过程持怀疑态度。首先，我担心太多的公司会以信用为借口来放慢塑料包装的创新，因为他们可以为自己造成的污染负责。我承认这是一个愤世嫉俗的立场，但是鉴于我们在全球范围内面临的当前塑料污染危机，我的犬儒主义可能有必要。
根据Repulpose等人的说法，每年需要300亿美元来解决塑料浪费危机。
我的另一个问题是，通过塑料信用将塑料废物从环境中转移并不一定会导致循环。例如，多层塑料膜（MLP）仍然没有通过这些信用方案回收为新的，有价值的材料。在许多情况下，MLP在水泥制造设施（Cogeneration）中被燃烧以取代煤炭。当然，这是比环境泄漏更有益的第二用途，但肯定不是循环。
This trip did temper my skepticism a bit, though. Why?
需要大量资金来解决塑料废物，如果没有足够的组织来提供资金，那么如果他们没有获得信誉。根据Repulpose和其他人的说法$30 billion每年都需要解决塑料废物危机。从角度来看，生态系统市场将自愿碳补偿的总价值置于积极交易二十年以上，仅在$1 billion每年在2021年。理想情况下，我们希望看到塑料废物（和碳排放）的绝对和直接减少，但是这些偏移和信贷的融资方案可以成为实现未来愿景的桥梁。
当重新利用全球查看塑料废物问题时，它将解决方案分为三步的过程：
- 激活组织已经成为废物管理系统一部分的组织
- 提供额外的融资以帮助增长并增加规模
- 验证该项目不仅可以提供额外的塑料转移，而且还遵守全球环境和劳工标准
我现在知道的是，在没有信用计划的情况下，重新利用和其他共享其减少塑料废物目标的组织根本无法为他们的工作提供资金。
那么，重新利用资金是什么样的项目？
废物冒险印度
我们在钦奈访问的第一个解决方案是Neela Sapana项目，由废物冒险印度(WVI). The project there focuses on sorting mixed waste, selling the material with recycling value, and baling the MLP to be sent for cogeneration. MLP in this case is an additional material that otherwise would not have been handled responsibly due to its $0 value in the recycling markets. So far, WVI has recovered over 200,000 kg of additional waste through its partnership with rePurpose.
What stood out most to me at the WVI facility, though, were the working conditions. The facility had safety processes in place that are well-marked, great lighting, a good material flow set up through the facility and a separate space for meals and breaks. When we spoke to the women who work at the facility, they all expressed how excited they were to feel appreciated and like they are doing important work. We also heard about how they are able to use the extra income to help pay for their childrens’ education and provide a better life for their families.
看绿色蠕虫。Jon Smieja的图像。
Green Worms
When we traveled across the Southern part of India to Kerala, we visited Project Hara Bhoomi, an effort by rePurpose andGreen Wormsto capture ocean-bound MLP. The partnership with rePurpose has allowed Green Worms to expand its footprint, offer new services and ultimately to divert an additional 1.5 million kg of plastic waste from its former baseline operations. In the case of this project, a third of the diverted plastic ended up going into recycling streams (PET, polypropylene, etc.) while two-thirds was sent to cogeneration facilities nearby.
In terms of people, Green Worms was able to hire over 100 material sorters to work at its expanded facilities. Mostly women, many of which had never worked formally outside the home, they bring home a new income source to their family while working in an environment with regular breaks from monotonous sorting on the conveyor belt, a strong sense of community and (maybe most important) consistent hours that they can plan their lives around. When speaking with the women who work at the facility, I was struck by how much pride they take in the work that has long been looked down upon in Indian society. They know, and their families and friends know, how important this work is to improving the quality of life in Kerala and beyond.
Key takeaways
塑料学分方案是否最终摆脱了我们所处的塑料废物难题？100％在过渡到不会导致塑料污染的创新期间，他们可以发挥重要作用吗？我相信是这样。
我将在下面阅读的塑料学分上分享一些资源，但让您对它们的实用性下定决心。就像在这个圆形空间中几乎所有的东西一样，它是灰色阴影的细微差别。
- 重新利用全球’s“塑料信用协议”
- Grist赞助文章，"A Plastic Neutral Plan That Buys the Planet Some Time and Innovation"
- World Wildlife Fund Position,“塑料信用和塑料中立”
- Sustainable Brands,“What are Plastic Credits, A 4-Minute Explainer”
- Waste360,“谁利用塑料学分，为什么？”
- Greenbiz文章，“塑料信用和偏移的野生西部”
