Projects

Feasibility of Plastic Brick Production for Rural Employment

International Partner: Gaspard Gindt, Grenoble INP, France

Village: Dewgain, Jharkhand

Project Duration: 1 month

Identified Challenge & Aim:

In an effort to curtail urban migration and provide a local avenue for income generation, the project investigated the feasibility of plastic brick production as a novel employment opportunity for villagers.

The Study/Innovation:

Through a survey of sampled households and interviews with key community members, current methods of employment and overall village waste management practices were studied. As the village does not produce much plastic waste on its own, the project included a visit to a plastic waste processing center in Ranchi – the closest city to the village – to gain a better understanding of how the urban sector manages and processes plastic waste. Several discussions took place with industry officials and villagers on how the rural sector can contribute to effective plastic waste management without migrating to urban settlements. Based on data collected from the village and industry visits, a process for fabricating plastic bricks, grounded by a community-driven model for employment, was proposed.

Publication: In progress

Addresses Sustainable Development Goals: