Visit to the Viridis Recycling Plant

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles in the Earth’s environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans (Wikipedia). It is amongst the most crucial problems of the 21st century. In 2010, Sri Lanka was named the 5th largest marine plastic polluters due to the excessive amount of mismanaged plastic across the country (Statista). Although this is the case, at present, there are many plastic recyclers in Sri Lanka striving to diminish this figure. 
Our DP Geography class recently visited the VIRIDIS Recycling Plant in Sri Lanka. They have been the foremost plastic recycler in Sri Lanka for the past 10 years but have recently been surpassed by another plastic recycler in Sri Lanka. VIRIDIS began in 2005 for its purpose of becoming Sri Lanka’s primary PET bottle recycler.

Location of the Viridis Plant in Sri Lanka.

Presently, they have recycled and exported over 10,000 tons of PET bottles in the course of the past 12 years (Viridis). Mr. Nilantha Gamage of the VIRIDIS corporation gave us a tour of the recycling plant. The principal issue addressed by the company is that companies manufacturing products made up of plastic are not associated with the recycling of plastic contained in their goods. VIRIDIS is assigned with the task of going out and collecting plastic that they recycle and use to export to countries and make a profit. Plastic is largely collected from the Southern Province, Kandy, Chilaw, and Negombo. Local recyclers further contribute to the collection of plastic.

The Different Types of Plastic

Out of the 7 main plastic types, VIRIDIS supplies quality recycled PET Flakes to the local and international markets. Also, they have other recycled plastic materials such as PP, HDPE, HIPS, ABS, LDPE in reground pellets.

The Factory Overflowing with Plastic.

The Plastic Recycling Process

1. 1. 1. Sorting – Plastics are sorted into color, type, shape, and size.
      2.  Remove Labels – Labels recovered from PET bottles are separated, incinerated and sent to the cement industry
      3. Cut into Flakes – The sorted plastic is then shredded using a plastic shredder and ground into pellets and flakes.
      4. Washed and Dried – The ground plastic is then ground and hand washed in large barrels and dried.
      5.  Reorganization, Packaging, and Export – The flakes are packaged according to type or color and are exported to various countries to make products out of the pellets. They import to  India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
      6.  Manufacture a New Product – The exported flakes are used for brushes, brooms, fiber, buckets, and shoe racks.

Labels that have been Removed from Bottles. One of the special features of the plastics recycling industry is its dependency on petroleum prices. When petroleum prices go up, the value of plastic goes up which therefore creates a profit for the recyclers who resell the recycled plastic to make products. Since virgin plastic is plastic produced using crude oil or natural and contains no recycled material. Therefore, when oil prices go up, the expense of producing virgin plastic becomes high and hence expands the market for recycled plastics. The prices of recycled plastic increase as the demand for this type of plastic grows.

Strands of Plastic from Brooms and Brushes. Another challenge that VIRIDIS Cooperation is facing is the inability to export plastic to China, one of their most prominent buyers. In Jan 2018, China enforced a ban on importing  24 kinds of solid waste including plastic. This ban had a major impact on VIRIDIS as its main market was in China. And the repercussions that this ban had on the company regarding profit, sales, and production were adverse. Other countries have since paid special attention to the import of solid waste from foreign countries and the negative impacts it has on its environment. Hence, countries such as India have been discussing banning the import of solid waste. Alike China. Since India is VIRIDIS’s other prime buyer, the company would have to establish other strategies and clients to compensate for the loss of profit from these countries.
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

• The overflow of plastic and improper disposal of it is one of the main contributors to global warming. Visiting the Viridis Plant gave me the opportunity to understand the difficulty in recycling plastic and how we should make a bigger effort in doing so.

Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

• After visiting the Viridis plant, I realized that doing little things such as removing the paper label that is around a bottle before disposing of it would make a big impact on the recycling process. I have also become more conscious about the amount of plastic I use and the disposal of it.

Flakes of Plastic divided according to Color and Type
Works Cited
McCarthy, Niall, and Felix Richter. “Infographic: The Countries Polluting The Oceans The Most.” Statista Infographics, Statista, 12 Feb. 2020, www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/.
Mertes, Alyssa. “What Are the Different Types of Plastic?” Https://Www.qualitylogoproducts.com/, Quality Logo Products, 14 June 2019, www.qualitylogoproducts.com/promo-university/different-types-of-plastic.htm.
“Plastic Pollution.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2020, 13:17, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pollution.
“VIRIDIS: Pioneer in Plastic Recycling.” VIRIDIS, VIRIDIS, 2016, viridisrecycle.lk/index.html.
The Different Types of Plastic