Pakistan may record South Asia’s lowest plastic-waste leakage rate, but Karachi’s informal recycling economy reveals a gap. Recyclers even import used milk jugs from Ohio and may advise Saudi Arabia on plastic street pavers. Yet thin biscuit, chips, paan and medicine wrappers often avoid landfills only to return as polluted air. Official estimates show Pakistan generates about 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly, much of it poorly managed. At small units in Paracha, a corner of Karachi’s Shershah market, workers sort household waste by colour. Machines crush usable plastic, push out black strands, cool them in water and cut them into one-millimetre pellets called dana. Factories use the pellets to make new plastic products. One unit produced green dana, while another processed cleaner, unused medical waste. But coal-like blocks also covered the floor. “What’s that on the floor?” the reporter asked. “That’s gatha,” workers replied. Why Multi-Layered Plastic Has Little Value Gatha comes from multi-layered plastic, or MLP, one of the least valuable forms of packaging waste. Manufacturers use an outer BOPP or PET printing layer, adhesive and an inner CPP or LDPE sealant. Some add aluminium or metallised film for longer shelf life or extra shine. This gives MLP its local name, “chamak patti.” Metatex director Hasan Khanani said some packaging contains up to seven layers. Read More: From Farm Waste to Fashion: Pakistan Launches Banana Fiber Initiative Those materials protect food, but they make recycling costly. Different polymers have different properties and melting points, while the layers resist separation. Research confirms that multilayer packaging remains difficult to recycle through conventional systems. A plastic bottle can sell for up to Rs150 per kilogram, Irverde CEO Angel Imdad said. Mixed MLP fetches only about Rs6. One PET bottle also weighs roughly as much as 100 wrappers, so waste pickers favour bottles. “It isn’t viable to spend Rs20,000 to transport MLP, as its volumetric weight is a lot more than its physical weight,” Imdad said. “People don’t even reach breakeven.” Recycling Waste Into a New Health Threat Informal operators often burn MLP in open karahi-like containers. The melted sludge cools into hard gatha blocks. Textile dyeing units, small steel re-rolling mills and kilns reportedly buy them as cheap fuel. Safer methods exist. Mechanical compaction uses pressure below the plastic’s flashpoint. Pyrolysis heats waste between 450°C and 650°C in an oxygen-deprived chamber, breaking polymers into petroleum derivatives rather than openly burning them. Poorly controlled burning can release acid gases, chlorine, heavy metals, dioxins and other toxic pollutants. Research also shows that small community fires may create greater exposure risks than large dumps because smoke stays closer to residents. Read More: From Waste to Wonder: Beaconhouse Students Redefine Sustainable Art Regulated economies classify similar material as solid recovered fuel and control its use in high-temperature industry. Karachi’s off-the-books production and use face little visible oversight. Sources told Dawn that some operators move locations to avoid detection. Pakistan’s wrapper recycling story carries a grim warning. Turning MLP into fuel does not remove pollution. It simply shifts it from landfill to lungs.
From Roads to Eco Bricks: How the World Is Turning Plastic Waste into an Industry — and Pakistan Is Catching Up
As environmental pollution and climate change accelerate worldwide, plastic recycling has evolved from a basic waste-management tool into a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Across continents, countries are converting plastic waste into roads, construction material, furniture, and reusable plastic — a transformation that Pakistan has now begun to replicate through initiatives such as Eco Bricks and government-backed recycling programmes. How the World Recycles Plastic In countries such as Germany, Japan, and South Korea, plastic bottles and packaging are recycled back into raw material used for manufacturing new products. Strict waste segregation laws, deposit-return systems, and advanced recycling plants have helped reduce landfill waste and reliance on virgin plastic. Meanwhile, India and the Netherlands have pioneered the use of plastic waste in road construction. By mixing shredded plastic with bitumen, these countries have built stronger, more durable, and water-resistant roads, turning waste into long-lasting infrastructure. In United States and the United Kingdom, recycled plastic is widely used to produce outdoor furniture, fencing, railway sleepers, and building components. African nations such as Kenya are even converting plastic waste into low-cost construction bricks, helping address housing shortages while reducing pollution. Pakistan’s Entry: Eco Bricks and Recycling Push Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has historically struggled with plastic waste management. However, a notable shift began in July last year, when the country started producing environment-friendly Eco Bricks for the first time. These bricks are made by blending 15 to 20 percent plastic waste with cement, sand, and gravel. The Eco Bricks can be used in flooring and external boundary walls, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional construction materials while cutting down plastic pollution. According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, the country generates 3.9 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Much of it ends up being burned or dumped due to weak collection systems and limited recycling infrastructure, worsening air and environmental pollution. Punjab’s Green Credit Programme To address these challenges, Punjab has introduced multiple policies, including the Green Credit Programme, aimed at laying the groundwork for an emissions trading system. The initiative seeks to engage youth, students, women, and local communities in positive environmental action by encouraging recycling and sustainable practices. As part of this effort, the government has partnered with a private company to recycle single-use plastic. From next month, locally manufactured recycling machines — developed using Chinese technology — will be installed at four major universities in Lahore, with plans to expand their placement to city markets. Recycling as an Industry The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has urged the government to formally recognise plastic recycling as an industry and support it through policy and incentives. FPCCI notes that many countries earn billions from recycling, while Pakistan’s recycling sector already provides employment to nearly one million people. Pakistan currently has over 200 recycling factories processing paper, plastic, and other waste. Yet, a report estimates that in 2020, the country generated 250 million tonnes of waste, with around 5 million tonnes of plastic going unrecycled due to lack of awareness and infrastructure. Innovation from Within Kashif Akhtar, founder of Eco Bricks, says the initiative was born out of necessity. “In Pakistan, most waste is burned because it is neither properly collected nor recycled,” she said. “We decided to convert waste into a usable product, and that’s how Eco Bricks were developed.” She added that Eco Bricks have already been used in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) at a memorial site near F-9 Park in Islamabad, demonstrating their practical viability. The Road Ahead Global experience shows that plastic recycling can simultaneously reduce pollution, create jobs, and support sustainable growth. Experts believe that by improving waste segregation, investing in recycling technology, and formally recognising recycling as an industry, Pakistan can follow the same path — turning plastic waste from an environmental threat into an economic opportunity.
