Kabari is a grounds-up approach to recycling that is possible only in a populous developing
country, because of the thousands of pairs of hands and eyes which are needed. 

A recent article on the paper industry in The Economic Times reported that, “by the end of the Eighth Five Year Plan, India will face a shortage of more than two lakh tonnes of paper and paper boards.”  This shortage is predicted to become even more acute, with a shortfall of ten lakh tonnes by the year 2000.  And this is even with the proviso that the industry will increase its capacity utilisation from the current 60% to 90%.

What part does waste paper play?  “Of the total.... capacity of 7.85 lakh tonne by 1990-91, wood-based mills accounted for half the total, followed by waste paperbased mills (2.56 lakh tonne) and agrobased mills (1.29 lakh tonne).”

For newsprint manufacture, increased use of waste will temporarily fill the predicted gap.  But if other pulpbased mills will turn increasingly towards the use of waste paper as an alternative raw materials, this will increase the price of waste commensurately.  The diversion of waste to mills that formerly used pulp may also cause a decrease in capacity utilisation of those waste paper mills.

These findings are echoed by a recent study undertaken by the All India Small Paper Mills Association.  They report that “about 50% of the current paper production is based on the use of waste paper and other unconventional fibre resources.”  The Indian paper industry uses mainly “bamboo and mixed tropical hardwoods” harvested from native forests.  This is problematic, the report points out, as “forest raw materials are already in short supply and inadequate to sustain even the current level of production”, so that the expected future demand will create a huge gap of 4 lakh tonnes of forest materials by the turn of the century.

The strategies for minimizing this gap include maximum usage of non-conventional raw material, importation of pulp and waste paper, and implementation of government policies which encourage these strategies.  They also recommend the development of a plant that would most efficiently use waste paper, saying that the “enhanced recycling ..... would provide low cost material for industry (and) improved energy conservation, (as well as) contributing to saving our forest wealth and preserving.... ecological balances.

In order to ensure the increased usage of waste paper, they call for the organized collection of waste paper from industrial collection of waste paper from industrial concerns, businesses and government offices.  This would mean having agencies appointed to pick up waste paper using special demountable lorry sections which would be picked up when full, and small wheeled carts for smaller amounts of waste.  A system of price incentives would be instituted for graded and baled waste papers. 

They seek to encourage the import of waste paper through reduced excise taxes.  These taxes currently stand at 7%, while wood pulp can be imported free.  It would also be helpful if the Central and State Governments gave price preference to those products which are known to use recycled materials.  Finally, financial institutions should encourage waste paper recycling projects through favourable lending policies.

The plastics industry does not seem to speak in a single voice, so no industry-wide figures were available.  Much of the plastic extrusion, blow molding and injection molding of simple household articles is done by micro-enterprises rather than large industrial concerns, hence the difficulty in getting this data.  Judging from the industry’s monthly journal, however, there is considerable interest in, and scope for, recycling.

A 1991 article on the trends says the industry will have to “address itself to aspects like ... increased use of recycled resources (and) economy in the use of materials.”  The article also focused on the anticipated demand for several types of plastic.  These have been summarized in the table on the next page.

While these predictions may be over-optimistic form the industry standpoint, they do indicate a strong belief in the increased use of plastics.  The article did comment that demand figures for PVC may be repressed “if the recycled PVC from domestic and imported sources finds increasing uses in making pipes, agriculture canal lining, etc. [And,] since the material... decomposes into chlorofluorocarbons very harmful to the environment, a global consensus against the use of material cannot be dismissed.”

Other materials are discussed in light of their environmental impact: polystyrene, a high-grade, hard, impact-resistant plastic used for consumer durables, is also used for one-time-use food packaging, which the article decries.  “The environmental losses become too obvious and a disadvantage to its future growth.  This material may be substituted by PET and other multilayer structures since their impact on the environment is less.  PET is further praised: “The materials is environmentally sound and can be recycled appropriately.” 

According to industry estimates, plastics form only 7% of the total solid waste disposed of in India.  But the high value of this waste makes it too precious to simply dispose of, thus the concern with recycling which is readily apparent in the industry.  New techniques for recycling vinyl plastic bottles, which had been considered impossible to recover, are being developed.  Means of using low-grade mixed plastic with a high proportion (5-12%) of trash are discussed, with useful items for rural areas resulting, such as a warehouse pallet, completely resistant to water and chemicals.  Or a school bench and desk, or fencing which is termite and rot resistant.

The arguments used by the plastic industry here in India depend heavily on comparisons to wood.  Take this example: “.. it requires 1000 kgs. of polyethylene or 2500 kgs. or paper to make 50,000 bags.  But - and this is very important - to make that much paper we require 5000 kgs. of raw lumber.  This argument alone comes down very heavily in the favour of plastics, but on the other hand, paper is bio-degradable and does not pose a threat to the environment.  The only way to generate a long-term interest for the plastics processor, the public and the law-makers is to develop Value-Added Recycling.”  This means creating entirely new products out of recycled waste which are as valuable, or perhaps more so, than their initial use.

Kabari is a perfect example of how the informal economy buttresses the formal sector.  Kabari is a grounds up approach to recycling that is possible only in a populous developing country, because of the thousands of pairs of hands and eyes which are needed.

Everyone in the kabari cycle gains: households because they get rid of trash and pay lower prices for items made from recycled waste; kabari-walls because they earn a living; factories pay less for waste materials; and the nation gains by not having to spend foreign exchange reserves on imported wood pulp and plastic resins, nor does it have to chop down its own trees.  By working together, the end result contributes greatly to the continued development and sustainability of the Indian economy.

(Author’s note: On April 19th, 1992, Delhi’s largest waste paper market burned to the ground, destroying 42 go-downs at an economic loss of Rs. 17 lakhs.  Fortunately, there was no loss of life.

The fire went unchallenged, even though it was reported immediately to the fire department located adjacent to the market.  The firemen took over half an hour to respond.  This is just one more example of official disinterest in an industry so vital to national well-being.)

The author is an Urban Planner
working with the Environment Systems Brach

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