Circular manufacturing shapes next phase of India's plastics growth

Plastic makers in India are starting to recycle more because the materials used to make new plastic have become very expensive, with prices rising by up to 67%.

Getting those materials has also become harder because of problems in West Asia.

So companies now see old plastic as a valuable resource instead of trash.

India already recycles about 40% of its plastic waste, but the state of Telangana only recycles about 8-9%.

A big show called HIPLEX 2026 is opening in Hyderabad on August 7 to show new plastic machines and recycling ideas.

At one display, 25 old plastic bottles are turned into a T-shirt.

Recycled plastic can also be used to make roads, bricks, benches, furniture and even houses.

India has already built more than one lakh kilometres of roads using waste plastic.

The organizers say that without recycling, garbage stays garbage, but with recycling, garbage becomes a resource.