This study investigates the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the plastic waste recycling value chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The research focuses on identifying the value chain of different types of recyclable waste plastics and assessing the pattern of post-consumer plastic waste disposal, recycling practices, and the prospects and challenges faced by SMEs. Dhaka City Corporation, comprising Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), generates an estimated 6,400 tons of waste daily, of which approximately 640 tons are plastic waste. Among this, around 37% is recycled, with SMEs playing a central role in collection, sorting, and processing activities. Data were collected through surveys and field visits to 617 recycling units across the city. The study analyzed the economic dynamics of different plastic types, revealing that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) offer the highest procurement and resale values. PET is procured at Tk. 35.71 per kg and resold at Tk. 48.00 per kg, while HDPE provides the highest net margin of Tk. 9.08 per kg. Value addition across various plastic types ranges from 15% to 55%. The plastic waste stream primarily consists of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) from single-use plastic bags (about 40%) and multi-layered plastics (MLP) (around 7%). The findings indicate that the sector is largely informal and fragmented, with most recycling units operating from small rented spaces without formal documentation, licenses, or access to institutional finance. Occupational safety measures, environmental compliance, and technological integration are minimal, with most facilities lacking personal protective equipment and effluent treatment systems. The spatial distribution of units is unplanned, and a significant portion of factories report financial instability. Despite these challenges, SMEs contribute significantly to resource recovery, employment, and environmental management in Dhaka. The study highlights the structure of the plastic recycling value chain and the operational realities of SMEs in this sector.
Published in | American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering (Volume 9, Issue 3) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13 |
Page(s) | 115-124 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Plastic Waste, Recycling, Value Chain, SME, Environmental Sustainability, Bangladesh
Types of plastic recycled | Pollution level |
---|---|
Steps of recycling (Naming & Drawing) | Wastewater management? |
Production hour/person | Selling price |
Source of water | Current location |
Production capacity (per day) | Source of Gas |
Source of power | Source of electricity |
Average monthly Electricity Bill (BDT) |
1: Random waste disposal | 2: Waste collection | 3: Waste Plastics |
4: Manual identification | 5: Manual sorting | 6: Manual separation |
7: Shredding | 8: Manual washing | 9: Open drying |
10: Melting | 11: Melted plastic | 12: Ready for selling |
No Value Phase | Value Generation Phase |
---|---|
Sources of Plastic Waste 1) 🏠 Household Waste 2) 🏭 Industrial Waste 3) 🏢 Commercial Waste Plastic Waste Accumulation All sources combine to create Total Plastic Waste Initial Waste Handling 1) □ Littering 2) □ Dumped at Dumping Places 3) 🚚 Door-to-Door Waste Collection → Managed by: City Corporation / Commercial Collection / Social Services Collection & Sorting ♻ Collected & Sorted by Waste Pickers / Tokais / Scavengers 🏭 Transferred to Secondary Transfer Station (STS) | Intermediate Trading □ Handled by Intermediate Salvage Traders Waste Plastic Recycling Process 1) □ Sorting 2) 💧 Washing & Drying 3) ✂ Cutting & Flake Producing 4) 🔥 Melting 5) 📦 Packing Recycled Product Output 1) □ Recycled Plastic Traders 2) □ Flake Exporters 3) □ Plastic Goods Manufacturers |
Collection & Sorting | Informal waste collectors NGO led waste collectors Private waste collection service City Corporation waste collection system |
Recycling & Processing | Manual and mechanical recycling factories Sorting, Cutting, Washing, Drying, Melting units |
Manufacturing | Producing raw materials from waste plastic Producing new plastic products from recycled waste |
Supply chain & retail trade | Retail and wholesale traders of plastic goods Transportation service providers Logistics service providers |
Civil Society | Think tank, Social service organizations, NGO, institutions who promote environmental conservation |
Waste Plastic Type | PET | HDPE | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transparent | Color | Food Pack | Green | Cap | Cap Ring | Color Bag | Yellow Bag | |
Mean Buying Price | 36.9±0.9 | 31.8±1.1 | 38.4±1.0 | 37.2±1.9 | 37.0±1.2 | 31.9±2.1 | 31.8+1.2 | 31.4±0.8 |
Mean Selling Price | 53.2±1.2 | 44.2+1.9 | 46.5±0.9 | 50.29±2.2 | 45.4±1.3 | 47.4±1.7 | 46.1±.08 | 48.82±2.3 |
Mean Net Margin | 11.7±1.3 | 7.8±0.9 | 3.5±2.1 | 8.40±2.2 | 3.8±1.7 | 10.8±2.4 | 9.7±1.5 | 12.77±1.2 |
Waste Plastic Type | LDPE | Elastomers | PVC | PS | PP | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LDPE | Bus/ Truck Tyre | Car tyre | PVC | SUP | Color | Transparent | |
Mean Buying Price | 32.7±1.3 | 28.4±1.1 | 26.8±2.2 | 27.5±1.6 | 23.0±0.7 | 33.1±1.7 | 36.4±2.4 |
Mean Selling Price | 37.7±1.5 | 33.6±1.2 | 32.1±2.1 | 39.8±1.4 | 31.4+1.1 | 42.2±1.0 | 45.2±2.2 |
Mean Net Margin | 0.36±2.3 | 0.5±1.0 | 0.6+0.9 | 7.7±1.3 | 3.7+2.2 | 4.4+0.8 | 4.1+2.2 |
Recycling plastic Type | No. of factories (Multiple response) |
---|---|
PP (Polypropylene) | 37 |
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) | 30 |
PVC (Poly vinyl chloride) | 24 |
HDPE (High Density Poly-Ethylene) | 22 |
LDPE (Low Density Poly-Ethylene) | 14 |
PS (Polystyrene) | 13 |
Factory Area | No. of factory | Percentage |
---|---|---|
More than 500 sft | 8 | 20% |
401 - 500 sft | 6 | 16% |
300 - 400 sft | 16 | 40% |
Less than 300 sft | 10 | 24% |
Total | 40 | 100% |
Per SFT Rent (BDT) | No. of factories | Per SFT Rent (BDT) |
---|---|---|
Tk. 70.00 & above | 10 | 24% |
Tk. 50.00 & above | 16 | 40% |
Tk. 30.00 & above | 14 | 36% |
Total | 40 | 100% |
MSW | Municipal Solid Waste |
HDFP | Hard Plastic for Food Packaging |
SMEs | Small and Medium Enterprises |
MLP | Multi-Layered Plastics |
DSCC | Dhaka South City Corporation |
DNCC | Dhaka North City Corporation |
GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
PP | Polypropylene |
PET | Polyethylene Terephthalate |
PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride |
HDPE | High-Density Polyethylene |
LDPE | Low-Density Polyethylene |
PS | Polystyrene |
BDT | Bangladeshi Taka |
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APA Style
Muntasir, M. F. A., Orpa, S. H., Islam, M. R. (2025). Identifying the Value Chain of Different Types of Recyclable Waste Plastics: Case Study on Selected SMEs of Dhaka City. American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, 9(3), 115-124. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13
ACS Style
Muntasir, M. F. A.; Orpa, S. H.; Islam, M. R. Identifying the Value Chain of Different Types of Recyclable Waste Plastics: Case Study on Selected SMEs of Dhaka City. Am. J. Environ. Sci. Eng. 2025, 9(3), 115-124. doi: 10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13
@article{10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13, author = {Md Fahim Al Muntasir and Sabrina Hasan Orpa and Md Redwanul Islam}, title = {Identifying the Value Chain of Different Types of Recyclable Waste Plastics: Case Study on Selected SMEs of Dhaka City}, journal = {American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering}, volume = {9}, number = {3}, pages = {115-124}, doi = {10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajese.20250903.13}, abstract = {This study investigates the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the plastic waste recycling value chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The research focuses on identifying the value chain of different types of recyclable waste plastics and assessing the pattern of post-consumer plastic waste disposal, recycling practices, and the prospects and challenges faced by SMEs. Dhaka City Corporation, comprising Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), generates an estimated 6,400 tons of waste daily, of which approximately 640 tons are plastic waste. Among this, around 37% is recycled, with SMEs playing a central role in collection, sorting, and processing activities. Data were collected through surveys and field visits to 617 recycling units across the city. The study analyzed the economic dynamics of different plastic types, revealing that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) offer the highest procurement and resale values. PET is procured at Tk. 35.71 per kg and resold at Tk. 48.00 per kg, while HDPE provides the highest net margin of Tk. 9.08 per kg. Value addition across various plastic types ranges from 15% to 55%. The plastic waste stream primarily consists of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) from single-use plastic bags (about 40%) and multi-layered plastics (MLP) (around 7%). The findings indicate that the sector is largely informal and fragmented, with most recycling units operating from small rented spaces without formal documentation, licenses, or access to institutional finance. Occupational safety measures, environmental compliance, and technological integration are minimal, with most facilities lacking personal protective equipment and effluent treatment systems. The spatial distribution of units is unplanned, and a significant portion of factories report financial instability. Despite these challenges, SMEs contribute significantly to resource recovery, employment, and environmental management in Dhaka. The study highlights the structure of the plastic recycling value chain and the operational realities of SMEs in this sector.}, year = {2025} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Identifying the Value Chain of Different Types of Recyclable Waste Plastics: Case Study on Selected SMEs of Dhaka City AU - Md Fahim Al Muntasir AU - Sabrina Hasan Orpa AU - Md Redwanul Islam Y1 - 2025/07/06 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13 DO - 10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13 T2 - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering JF - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering JO - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering SP - 115 EP - 124 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2578-7993 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20250903.13 AB - This study investigates the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the plastic waste recycling value chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The research focuses on identifying the value chain of different types of recyclable waste plastics and assessing the pattern of post-consumer plastic waste disposal, recycling practices, and the prospects and challenges faced by SMEs. Dhaka City Corporation, comprising Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), generates an estimated 6,400 tons of waste daily, of which approximately 640 tons are plastic waste. Among this, around 37% is recycled, with SMEs playing a central role in collection, sorting, and processing activities. Data were collected through surveys and field visits to 617 recycling units across the city. The study analyzed the economic dynamics of different plastic types, revealing that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) offer the highest procurement and resale values. PET is procured at Tk. 35.71 per kg and resold at Tk. 48.00 per kg, while HDPE provides the highest net margin of Tk. 9.08 per kg. Value addition across various plastic types ranges from 15% to 55%. The plastic waste stream primarily consists of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) from single-use plastic bags (about 40%) and multi-layered plastics (MLP) (around 7%). The findings indicate that the sector is largely informal and fragmented, with most recycling units operating from small rented spaces without formal documentation, licenses, or access to institutional finance. Occupational safety measures, environmental compliance, and technological integration are minimal, with most facilities lacking personal protective equipment and effluent treatment systems. The spatial distribution of units is unplanned, and a significant portion of factories report financial instability. Despite these challenges, SMEs contribute significantly to resource recovery, employment, and environmental management in Dhaka. The study highlights the structure of the plastic recycling value chain and the operational realities of SMEs in this sector. VL - 9 IS - 3 ER -