Gathering, sorting & processing of plastic waste materials in Turkmenbashi city
Grant MSGPV-TK01-05

The ever-increasing use of plastic materials in the world has resulted in unprecedented amounts of plastic waste. Although plastic materials are light and could easily be formed into various shapes and sizes, their disposal is rather difficult and unlike regular household garbage, it will take a long time to disintegrate. Burning is an alternative method of plastic-waste disposal, but this would release considerable amounts of hazardous substances into the environment like carbon monoxide, which prevents oxygen to reach our heart and brain. Some plastics even have materials which could harm people with asthma and bronchitis. The urban wastes in Turkmenbashi City are either land filled, dumped or burned. Currently, plastic wastes are burned along with other domestic wastes. The predominant winds worsen the situation by bringing the hazardous fumes and plumes toward the city and the sea shores. As a result, the population of Turkmenbashi City and the coastal environment suffer the most. So, one of the best alternatives is the recycling of used plastics.

A project was developed to protect the people’s health and the environment by reducing hazardous toxic substances resulting from plastic incineration. This project intends to recycle the plastic wastes in the Turkmenbashi City and collect appropriate plastic materials from the 92 garbage containers and a major dumping site on the highlands of the city. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to sort the garbage, and in particular, take plastic waste materials out of garbage and process them into plastic goods for every day uses like clothing hangers. The decision to make plastic hangers for clothes was made after conducting a marketing research in Turkmenistan; especially in the city of Turkmenbashi . As a result of this project, at least 100 tons of plastic waste products will be collected and utilized annually. This will be carried out by gathering plastic wastes with the assistance of the municipality. Then the sorting, processing and manufacturing of plastic products will be conducted. This project is at its early stages and currently the grantee is purchasing the required equipment.

Project Budget: 97,200 USD  Total Grant: 40,000 USD