'Clean Bhutan' finds way to utilise the abundance of discarded PET bottles
Aug 29, 2023
Thimphu [Bhutan], August 29 : As creativity and technology unite to address waste and advance sustainability, the proverb "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is coming to life.
An inventive scheme by the civil society movement Clean Bhutan would repurpose used PET bottles into nice pillows and blankets, combining comfort and sustainability. The project is already underway, according to Bhutan Live.
The National Trash Inventory Survey 2019 estimates that the nation produces more than 172 metric tonnes of solid trash every day.
A considerable amount of waste can be recycled or reused because plastic and paper wastes account for 33 per cent of all waste. Here is where Clean Bhutan imagines using the large quantity of PET bottles that are now being thrown away. Collecting used PET bottles—which would otherwise wind up in landfills or rivers—is the first step in the process. The bottles are cleaned and then broken up into small bits, Bhutan Live reported.
“We shred these bottles and also find a solution for the caps. We’re seeking equipment that can turn caps into fuel for furnaces. Additionally, we’re selling some of this shredded material to companies like green roads, who use it for eco-friendly plastic roads,” Bhutan Live quoted Nedup Tshering, the executive director of Clean Bhutan as saying.
The recycling facility can only shred bottles at the moment.
In order to purchase a machine for manufacturing fibre wool, Clean Bhutan is seeking a donor. With the use of this equipment, they could melt down shreds of material and turn them into fibres that could be spun into yarn or used to make polyester fabric, reported Bhutan Live.
A building housing the recycling facility was built using 25,000 PET bottles. The insulation provided by the bottles makes the workers more comfortable and reduces noise.
