In this process, collected FMCG packaging is crushed, compressed and heated in a specialized reactor through controlled catalytic pyrolysis. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
Few people think twice before throwing an empty chip packet or snack wrapper into the canteen, cinema hall or cricket stadium waste bin. Millions of such multi-layered plastic packaging, long considered non-recyclable, end up in landfills, are incinerated, release toxic fumes or are washed into rivers and lakes.
The problem is in their composition. Unlike glass or single-layer plastics, multi-layer packaging cannot decompose in the soil or be easily melted and reused. Now, scientists at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) in Hyderabad claim to have found a solution to a problem that has plagued the recycling world for decades: turning fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) plastic packaging into clean fuels, plastic raw materials and even green hydrogen.
Published – 25 March 2026 19:37 IST
