Tackling Asia’s plastic problem roundtable

In "What kind of choice do you have" found in the consultation of the designated engineer, I explained the advantages of plastic piping. Especially new plastics such as CPVC and PEX are attracting attention. This article is a published transcription of round table discussion. It is well known that corrosion of metal pipes can cause many economic, environmental and safety problems. It is proposed herein that CPVC and PEX are highly resistant to corrosion and have many other advantages over metals. David DeAngelis, director of plastic sales, said CPVC "is not susceptible to corrosion, pitting, or scaling." These are annoying metal pipes, which is a problem that needs regular replacement. The most common problem encountered in corrosion related metal pipes is leakage and flow restriction. Matthew Kuwatch comments that many chemicals used in the industry corrode metal pipes, but CPVC is inert to inorganic acids, bases, salts and aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Asia is a leader in solving the problem of plastic contamination. In 2002, Bangladesh became the world's first country to ban plastic bags, which were the main cause of clogging drainage systems during the 1988 and 1998 floods. However, according to UNEP, the use of plastic bags began to increase in a few years. Bangladesh has a problem of law enforcement agencies and a lack of cost-effective alternatives. Despite the action taken by the government, little progress has been made. For example, China generated more plastic waste in 2015 than any other country. In Asia, UNEP's report "Single use plastics: Roadmap for sustainability" states that "regulatory practices are often inadequate and disposable plastic bags are widely used and insufficiently managed" I said.