Plastics consumption to treble in 10 years

The per capita consumption of plastic in India doubled from 4 kg in 2006 to 8 kg in 2010, and would touch the global average of 27 kg per person by 2020, according to industry representatives. Among the factors driving this growth are increasing use of plastics in packaging, infrastructure, agriculture, automotives, healthcare and FMCG segments.

Ashok Goel, president, PlastIndia Foundation, an industry body, said the current size of the plastics industry is Rs 85,000 crore, and would grow at an average of 10 percent a year over the next five years to reach Rs 1.33 lakh crore by 2015.

The plastics industry includes raw material suppliers like petrochemical and refining firms, machinery manufacturers and the 55,000 processors, most of which are small-scale enterprises.

Goel, along with other leaders of the industry, was here to announce the eighth ‘PlastIndia-2012’ exhibition to be held at Pragathi Maidan in New Delhi, beginning February 1.

The six-day exhibition-cum-conference is supported by the ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, according to Raj Kumar Lohia, chairman, national executive committee, Plastindia-2012. With an estimated 200,000 participants from 40 countries and 1,500-2,000 exhibitors, it would be the third largest such exhibition after Hannover Messe and the Shanghai show, he said.

Goel said 60 percent of the plastics consumed in India is recycled, but the plastic remnants in municipal waste (accounting for 3 percent of the total waste) create a negative impression around its use. He said India's recycling capacity was much more than the scrap available to run it.

Along with the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, it has set up a demo plant in New Delhi to recycle municipal plastic waste using an indigenous technology to produce flower pots. The industry association was looking for a land parcel to expand the recycling plant with an investment of Rs 1 crore, he said.

There is a range of grades in plastic to suit different uses, and the average cost is around Rs 100 per kg. The cost of scrap is Rs 23 (PET type) and Rs 8 (municipal waste) per kg.