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Chapter I

Introduction

This chapter present the background of the study, research objectives,

significant of the study, scope and delimitation of the study.

Background of the study

Plastics have become an integral part of society since the 1950s when

their mass production commenced and their usage has continued to increase

with population growth, the standard of living and technological development.

The benefits of plastic are undeniable. It is cheap, lightweight and easy to mold.

Due to their versatility, plastics have replaced traditional materials such as metal,

wood and leather. Today, plastic is widely used in food and beverage packaging,

textile, automotive, manufacturing, medical devices such as surgical equipment,

drips and blister packs for pills. The increasing usage of plastics has caused

some substantial environmental pollution burden on both land and water habitats.

According to the report produced by the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) in 2018, only 9% of the nine billion tons of plastic the world

has ever produced has been recycled, while most end up in landfills, dumps or in

the environment. The plastic recycling process is commonly carried out through

centralized networks. Unfortunately, this can be seen as the reason for the low

recycling rate because of the challenges of collection, separation, sorting

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processes and transportation of the plastic waste. In developing countries,

including Philippines, there is no adequate waste management infrastructure for

recycling. In addition, the process requires significant capital and extensive

operating investment.

In the plastic recycling process, the primary machine used is a shredder

machine. The machine is used to cut waste plastic into tiny pieces for easy

handling, easier to melt and turn into other products. In small to medium scale

recycling, a custom-made shredder machine was designed and fabricated. A

variety of designs of custom-made shredder machines has been documented.

This study aims to review the (i) type of recyclable plastic waste that is suitable

for the small to shredder machine (ii) the design of various shredder machines,

and the (iii) performances of the shredder machine.

Research Objectives

This study aims to design, develop, and evaluate a plastic pouch shredder

lessening the waste in plastic waste management.

1. To evaluate the performance of plastic pouch shredder in terms of:

a. Durability

b. Sharpness
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c. Energy Consumption

d. Capacity

2. To assess the operational efficiency of plastic pouch shredder in terms of:

a. Shredding Speed

b. Consistency

3. To determine the cost plastic pouch shredder.

Significance

This study aims to help our environment by: Designing and Fabricating a

Cost-effective plastic shredder, essential in recycling and waste management.

By converting plastic pouches into reusable fragments, this shredder will

facilitate the recycling process, breaking down materials like paper and plastic

into smaller pieces and thus minimizing the amount of waste that ends up in

landfills.

Although highly operated shredders already exist, but they are often too

costly, making this study's focus on affordability crucial for broader

implementation.
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Scope and Delimitation

This study is focusing in designing and developing a plastic shredder.

Analyze the efficiency, performance, and acceptability of the plastic shredder

machine. This study will be conducted at the town of Odiongan, Romblon. This

study will be accomplished and will be complete on this academic year 2024-

2025.

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter presents the legal bases, literature, and studies which are relevant

to the research study.

Related Literature
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Shredder

This machine is used for cutting the plastic in to small pieces, which are in

irregular shaped flakes which can be processed further Recycle recovers the raw

material, which helps to make new plastic product (Sudhakara Reddy, Thunga

Raju 2018).

Plastic shredding machines have played a considerable role in the waste

plastic recycling process, addressing the problems associated with plastic waste

and harnessing the significant energy potential that waste plastics can provide for

human needs (Nurudeen A Raji, Seun S Ojo, Sejero M Hunvu 2020).

Table 1: Different types of Shredders

A plastic shredding machine was

a mechanical device designed to

break down and reduce the size of

plastic materials. This research work

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was aimed at solving the problems of

plastic waste management in

developing countries. In this study, a

plastic shredding machine was

designed and constructed. The

machine consisted of the following

main components: hopper assembly,

shredding chamber, drive shaft,

frame, V-belts, and an electric motor.

A plastic bottle shredding

machine was a specialized device

designed specifically to shred and

break down plastic bottles and hard

plastics. A cutting machine was

designed to reduce large solid

material objects into a smaller volume

or smaller pieces. This project

described the experimentation of a

plastic bottle cutting machine and the

analysis of the mechanism used in the

machine. The plastic bottle cutter was

used for cutting plastic into small

pieces to make waste management

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easier.

A paper shredder is a

mechanical device used to cut paper

into chad, typically either strips or fine

particles. This study focuses on the

design and construction of a paper

shredder machine. It examines the

main components, such as the frame,

transmission system, and cutting

mechanism, designed individually.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel has high corrosion resistance because forming very thin

hydroxide-rich passive film and protective action that can change with time and

environment to which steel expose. Their high resistance and superior

mechanical properties stainless steel suitable for food and pharmaceutical

industries (Zaffora A., Santamaria M., Francesco D. F. 2021)

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Due to their high resistance of corrosion stainless steel are widely used for

food and beverages industry (M. Santamaria, G. Tranchida, and F. Franco 2020)

Plastic Pouches

Plastic is one of the most common used materials in the world today, but

they cause serious environmental pollution and exhaustion of landfill space. The

recycling of waste plastic recovers the material, which can be used to make new

plastic products such as containers, plastic lumbers and particle boards. (Ayo et

al., Int J Waste Resour 2017)

Plastic have become an essential part of our day-to-day life since their

introduction over hundred years ago. It is one of the most commonly used

materials in the world today. They come in five major categories; the

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the High-density polyethylene (HDPE), the

Polyvinylchloride (PVC), the Polypropylene (PP) and the Low-density

polyethylene (LDPE). The huge quantities of these plastic categories currently

being marketed will ultimately find their way to the waste dump sites. This is

creating products problems due to its high amount of waste generated, non-

biodegradability and the fastest depletion of natural resources regarding its short

life cycle, therefore increased amount of material utilized in its production, and

waste generated. (Ayo et al., Int J Waste Resour 2017)

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Related Studies

Design and Fabrication of Plastic Shredder Machine

Shredder Machine Development

Due to the large amounts produced, which seriously impact both the

environment and its inhabitants, this plastic trash is becoming a very serious

environmental hazard. The maritime environment is one of the main victims of

this threat. Land-based plastic garbage eventually makes its way to waterways,

where it poisons marine life and causes other negative effects like floods. The

marine environment's plastics, which fish swallow, are harmful to human health if

those fish are eaten. A serious illness that results from this is cancer.

In order to effectively manage these wastes and increase environmental

sustainability, this study investigates several methods for turning old plastic into

new products. Also mentioned is the grave danger posed by the presence of

plastic garbage in our marine ecosystem. In addition, the design according to

requirements the machine is perfect for making the plastic into material into small

pieces .and also used for making paper into strips or Crush. From the study it

can be concluded that plastic shredder is used for recycling of electronic waste e-

waste and also for organic waste. As per literature survey we concluded that

plastic waste can be converted into small pieces or granules by the use of Plastic
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Shredding Machine. (Anil G., Kasulu CH., Vinay Kumar A., Chandu K., Babu

Raja K., 2022)

Legal Bases

Republic Act 9003 of 2000: Ecological Solid Waste Management

An act providing for an ecological solid waste management program, creating the

necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives, declaring certain acts

prohibited and providing penalties, appropriating funds therefor, and for other

purposes (Lawphil,2000)

Republic Act (RA) No. 11898 of 2022: Extended Producer

Responsibility

An act institutionalizing the extended producer responsibility on plactic packaging

waste, amending for this purpose Republic Act NO. 9003, otherwise known as

"Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000" (Lawphil,2022)

Synthesis

The development of a waste plastic shredder aimed to improve plastic

waste management by creating a machine capable of efficiently processing

various plastics. Performance tests showed a processing rate of 50 kg per hour,

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demonstrating an improvement over previous model. These results confirm the

shredder’s potential as a sustainable solution for plastic waste reduction.

The reviewed paper addresses the pressing issue of plastic waste by

designing a cost-effective shredding machine that reduces plastic volume, aiding

in recycling and storage. Researchers found that this shredder design effectively

breaks down various plastic types into small, manageable flakes suitable for

recycling. The machine requires minimal space and maintenance, can operate

without skilled labor, and significantly reduces labor costs. Overall, the

researchers concluded that this shredder design could serve as a practical and

affordable solution for plastic waste management, contributing to reduced landfill

use and environmental pollution.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual model of the study is shown in the figure of the paradigm.

It is composed of the Input, Process, and Output approach. The INPUT of the

study consists of plastic pouches, a shredder, ideas, and related literature. The

PROCESS covers the different steps involved in the study, namely gathering all

the materials, creating a blueprint of the shredder, making the shredder, and

using the plastic shredder. The OUTPUT includes data involving the sharpness,

acceptability, and amount of plastic that can be shredded.

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INPUT PROCESS

OUTPUT

Figure 1: The Conceptual Framework of the study

Definition of Terms

These are some of the uncommon words that can be found in the study:

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were identified, and operational definitions were

provided.

Capacity - the maximum amount that something can contain or handle.

Durability - the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without

requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when faced with the challenges of

normal operation over its design lifetime.

Energy Consumption - the amount of energy that is used by a machine or

device during its operation.

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Plastic Pouch - a material that used to sealed something and used for

packaging products food or other items.

Sharpness - the ability of an edge or point to cut into a material, the ability of an

edge or point to cut into a material.

Shredder - a useful machine that cut materials into very small pieces like

plastics, papers, and many more materials.

Technical Definition of Terms

The following terms were identified, and technical definition were

provided.

Machine - a device with different parts that are moving to perform a task. It uses

energy to change something.

Plastic Shredder Machine - used to cut waste plastic into tiny pieces for easy

handling, easier to melt and turn into other products.