ISLAMABAD - The state-of-the-art technology based low cost projects for recycling of plastic waste material displayed by the students of five leading universities during a function held at auditorium of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) on Wednesday morning became source of attraction for visitors from national and international departments and received overwhelming response. 
The low cost machines were developed by the students of Engineering Departments of IIUI, National University of Technology, Capital University of Science and Technology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Institute of Space Technology. 
The low-cost machines developed by various universities’ students were approved and awarded by Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). The dignitaries and officials of various departments witnessed practical demonstration of converting waste plastic material recycled into plastic tough tiles and plastic thread. The project was one of the series of events organized and funded by UNESCO, UNDP, Coca-Cola Foundation, Global Water Challenge, New World and PSF.
Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Syed Attaur Rehman said that they were striving to establish a strong linkage between academia with industry for putting knowledge into practice for the collective good of the people.
Addressing the event titled: “Plastic Waste Management and its Low-Cost Solutions” here, Dr. Syed Attaur Rehman said that Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz was quite active on this front and pushing the things for establishing strong link between the universities with industries so that the latest knowledge and innovations at academic level could be put into practice. Additional Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Syed Attaur Rehman was all praise for the students who had come up with low-cost machines to utilize the plastic waste into utility. He hoped that these machines would be refined and improved, and would be utilized on mass-scale to dispose of the plastic waste in an efficient manner. Dr. Attaur Rehman said, “Plastic has become integral part of our lives and has brought so many ease to us but at the same time it is a nuisance and associated with very serious environmental hazards.”
It takes several hundred years for a one-time-use plastic bag or utensil to decompose, he said and added that if corrective measures would not be taken now the whole world would become a plastic junkyard. He hoped that the students who had built these low-cost plastic recycling machines would prepare more things besides plastic tough tiles and plastic thread and stressed the need of evolving some mechanism for plastic waste collection as well. Dr. Athar Masood from International Islamic University Islamabad in his welcome address praised the efforts put in by the students and hoped that such activities would continue in future as well. The students who had developed these plastic recycling machines also briefed the audience about their projects briefly. Souvenirs were presented to the participants and chief guest at the end.
Later, a walk was also organized and students from various universities and faculty members marched from IIUI Old Campus to Faisal Mosque to highlight the issues relating to plastic waste management and its hazardous impact on environment and human lives. The participants of the walk were holding placards and banners carrying the slogans against the plastic use and its hazards associated with it.