New Delhi, August 2015: After a first month in Delhi, SRI-intern Arthur Haarman describes his field observations and experiences from Delhi’s informal plastic recycling world. Together with the local environmental NGO Toxics Link, several recyclers were visited to document existing recycling practices and identify opportunities for improvements.

With more than 20,000 people engaged in informal plastic recycling, Delhi is an international hotspot for secondary plastic production. High recycling rates are achieved by this highly complex network of actors, but with potential impacts on human and environmental health. Indeed, uncontrolled recycling of plastics containing hazardous additives, such as brominated flame retardants and heavy metals, entails risks of cross-contamination and toxic releases.

Take a journey along the lifecycle of recycled plastic, and understand the challenges of hazardous contaminants, by downloading the report here.