Recycled Plastic Lumber

by Posted in 1.51 Reusing & Recycling Plastic Tagged 4 Comments

Plastic lumber is often the end product of the plastics (mechanical) recycling chain.

Which may go as follows

  • Virgin PET bottle to fleece or carpet
  • Carpet fibers to plastic lumber.
  • Plastic lumber to waste disposal plant – though manufacturers claim that plastic lumber can be recycled again.

This process is sometimes called DOWNCYCLING.

It is a versatile product especially good for wet or high risk situations and it is very easy to make 

Key points to note about recycled plastic lumber (as taken from the industry website)

  • Reduction of energy consumption by 66%plastic lumber featured
  • Production of only a third of the sulphur dioxide
  • Production of only half of the nitrous oxide
  • Reduction of water usage by nearly 90%
  • Reduction of carbon dioxide generation by two-and-a-half times
  • 1.8 tonnes of oil are saved for every tonne of recycled polythene produced
  • Lasts 5 times longer than timber
  • Rot and algae proof
  • Crack, chip and splinter proof
  • Insect and animal resistant
  • Non slip
  • UV resistant
  • Vandal Resistant
  • Less Flammable than timber
  • Easy to clean
  • Can be worked like timber
  • Holds screws and fittings well
  • Reduced Whole Life Costs
  • Diverting Material from Landfill
  • Reduces the carbon footprint of any project
  • Labour saving – minimal maintenance

Find out more at British Recycled Plastics

More on recycling here

Other ways to recycle and reuse plastic trash here

Recycling and  waste plastic – a discussion

And find more recycled plastic products here

Hydrocarbons

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, More Information Tagged 1 Comment

Hydrocarbon is a molecule that only contains hydrogen and carbon atoms, joined together by covalent bonds. Remember that a covalent bond is a shared pair of electrons.

These compounds may be simple with only a few atoms or more complex with more.

The compounds come in different forms. Methane the smallest hydrocarbon is a gas lighter than air while tar, a much larger compound, is thick and gloopy.

The ability of carbon atoms to bond strongly to each other allows them to form an almost unlimited variety of chains, rings, and other structures that form the backbones of organic molecules. Since each atom can form four bonds, these backbones include other elements, such as hydrogen. The compounds are flammable, since the two elements they contain will combine easily with oxygen in the air, releasing energy. Fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, are naturally occurring mixtures of hydrocarbons; coal also contains some, although it is mostly just carbon.

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is categorised as an organic compound. {Organic compounds are the complex compounds of carbon. Because carbon atoms bond to one another easily, the basis of most organic compounds is comprised of carbon chains that vary in length and shape. Hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms are the most common atoms that are generally attached to the carbon atoms.}

Hydrocarbons contain a lot of energy.

Hydrocarbons like crude oil and natural gas are harvested for their high energy content.

Crude oil can be distilled to separate different hydrocarbons including petrol.

Carbon is great at bonding and so can easily forms polymers. A polymer is a large molecule that is made up of many smaller, repeating molecules, called monomers, which are joined together by covalent bonds.

Hydrocarbon chains can be broken and rearranged in different ways.  According to B.P. “the hydrocarbon compound is the most versatile on the chemical charts. It can make an estimated 2.5 million possible combinations. Longer, heavier molecules can be transformed into lighter ones and vice versa.”

And so they can be used to make new and different products such as plastic, a wholly synthetic product made from a natural resource.

Hydrocarbons are often used to make polymers.

Many hydrocarbons occur in nature. In addition to making up fossil fuels, they are present in trees and plants,

Disclaimer

I suppose I must have studied chemistry at school. I seem to remember some high jinks with a bunsen burner but nothing else. I now realize that you can understand nothing about the practical world without some basic knowledge of how it works. So I am trying to teach myself chemistry via Google. I know I get it wrong sometimes. Do bear that in mind when you read these fumbling explanations that I am learning as I go. Any help gratefully received.

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Branded Cups

by Posted in 3.6 Businesses & social enterprises Tagged 13 Comments

Reusable plastic souvenir Cups for any event. Premier solution to millions of disposable cups thrown into landfill sites in UK & Ireland each year.

Plastic Challenge – Reduce the millions of disposable cups thrown into landfill sites

Branded Cups pride ourselves on being a supporter of charities wherever possible and being a sustainable organisation not only with the products we supply but also the manner in which we operate. We embrace environmental, social and economic challenges to ensure we are not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
The philosophy is to supply any and every event with reusable plastic cups, providing a personal service at the most competitive rate possible.
Our knowledgeable experience, enthusiasm and a desire to go the extra mile for each client ensuring they are not simply content but delighted with our service ensures long term growth.
This is illustrated with 100% of our clients returning for repeat orders, we like to be reused just like our Branded Cups. We have a wealth of experience in business and management; complimented with sales, marketing and accountancy

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Please note…

This post was written by the contributor. and  is  a PfU.K. Directory submission.

And the Pf U.K. Directory is…?

…a directory of UK-based groups, organisations businesses and individuals who are responding to the problems presented by the misuse of plastic. That does not mean anti-plastic necessarily… but certainly plastic-problem aware.

The DIRECTORY is to promote their fantastic work. Read more here…

Got a project?
It is very easy to get a project featured. Each contributor submits a short synopsis of their project, focussing on the plastic aware element and I post it. You can read the submission guidelines here.

Bristol Water Refill

by Posted in 3.7 Other Solutions Tagged , , 9 Comments

“Refill Bristol is a practical campaign to make Bristol a city in which refilling your water bottle becomes a cultural norm.”

But how you ask?

“Participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses will simply put a sticker in their window – alerting passers-by to the fact they’re welcome to come on in and fill up their bottle – for free!”

By the end of the year they hope to have signed up 100 businesses and have an app telling you where they are. For now you can to find them on this map.

Another great water refill scheme to look out for is Give Me Tap

And lets not forget Selfridges who have banned the sale of bottled water in their shops and installed a water refill bar.

 

 

Smoked Salmon

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged

How I love it! It has been up there on guilty pleasures list (the plastic wrapped food I can’t give up!). The sad thing is it doesn’t need to come like that. Up in Scotland I found 2 places that smoked their own salmon and were happy to sell it to me in my own containers

Wester Ross Fisheries Ullapool http://www.wrs.co.uk

The Loch Torridon Smokehouse http://www.lochtorridonsmokehouse.co.uk

OMG it was fantastic. But it is rather far to go – so I am going to try this….

“Tim Hayward visits London’s Billingsgate fish market, a builder’s merchant, sources some electrical equipment on eBay … then shows us how to combine his unusual purchases to produce the finest home-smoked salmon ”

… and it looks really easy!

Find more plastic free food here

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Car Wash & Screen Clean

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up Tagged

New Product – Cleaning Products – for home, business and car

A reduction rather than a plastic free solution, this company offer concentrated product in a capsule form that you then dilute in water. Both the capsule and the product that is. The capsule itself is water soluable – hooray no plastic.

From the website…
Wolf Formulations Ltd has developed a wide range of innovative green cleaning products which are designed with a practical single dose water soluble eco capsule concept. The super concentrated eco capsules have the cleaning power of the standard ready-to-use cleaning products, whilst reducing waste and minimising cost. Our range of green cleaning products have been developed to offer complete cleaning solutions for household, motor vehicle and professional sectors.

Cleaning At Home Or Work

They do cleaning products for kitchen and bathroom cleaners both for the domestic and businesses market.

Washing The Car 

What caught my eye was the car cleaning products. I always use washing up liquid (refillable) a sponge and whenever available, a boy scout…. but I guess purists out there might prefer something more specialised.

They do
AUTO-MAX Car Screen Wash
Car Wash & Wax Shampoo 3x9ml
AUTO-MAX Car Wash & Wax
Car Window & Mirror Cleaner 4x5ml
AUTO-MAX Window & Mirror Cleaner
Car Screen Wash
AUTO-MAX Gift Sets

Not so green?

Sadly the onward packaging doesn’t look so good. It appears to be a hard plastic case? Recyclable? I don’t know. And it appears to vary depending on the product. I am contacting the manufacturers for more info. But in the meantime here’s what I got. Anyone out there used them?

Visit the website here http://wolfformulations.com/car-care/

Sing a song of plastic….

by Posted in 3.7 Other Solutions 4 Comments

A sea bird full of Bics…

Our plastic trash is often eaten by animals by mistake. This can lead to distressing injuries and in the saddest instances  a long, drawn out and painful death. Natalie Fee ( also featured in the Plastic Free U.K. Directory)  is working hard to raise awareness of this issue. Here is here her moving song and thoughtful video.

Official video for BURDEN, the new UK single, out now.

You can watch the music video for Burden here: www.tinyurl.com/BurdenVideo

And you can download Natalie’s song, Burden, from iTunes here www.tinyurl.com/songfortheocean (15% to Surfers Against Sewage Marine Litter Team) or pay what you want from www.nataliefee.bandcamp.com (100% to Surfers Against Sewage Marine Litter Team)

Download on iTunes http://apple.co/1dgAcuf 15% of downloads go to Surfers Against Sewage (Marine Litter Team). More info + links below.

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Polypropylene

by Posted in 1.3 Plastic Types - Fact Sheets Tagged

Polypropylene (PP) plastic code 5

It is the second most important plastic after polyethylene.

It is a thermoplastic polymer that is rugged and unusually resistant to many chemical solvents, bases and acids.

It is used to make soup pots, margarine tubs, most bottle tops, waterproof clothing, carrier bags, ropes, non woven fibre products like the fluffy cottonwool type stuff used in tampons and nappies.

Does not biodegrade.

UK Collection Rates for recycling.Not generally collected for household recycling, although it has good potential.However, mixed plastic recycling is expected to be under way within five years. (please note this information is always changing. Updates will be posted here first so you may wish to double check.)

It is expected to net US$145 billion by 2019 and the sales of this material are forecast to grow at a rate of 5.8% per year until 2021.

In 2013, the global market for polypropylene was about 55 million metric tons. Wikkipedia.

Polypropylene is made from propylene. This in turn is made from propane.

Propane is derived from hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbon chains are refined by cracking and polymerising.

Very basically cracking breaks the existing chains and polymerisation is remixing them into something new.

Using high-temperature furnaces, propane is cracked into propylene,

Using a catalyst, a reactor and some heat propylene joins together to create a polymer called polypropylene.

Propane can be derived from Naptha ( which is distilled from crude oil)

90% of propylene is made from oil though that figure is rapidly changing as more is made from shale gas as a result of fracking.

“North America plans to build 6 new plants to to make “on purpose” propylene from propane “In the past the price of propylene and propane were so close in the U.S. that it wasn’t cost effective to dehydrogenate propane, but now with low cost propane from shale gas, it is. “

Polypropylene was discovered in  1951 by two chemists working for Phillips Petroleum Company.

In 2008, researchers in Canada asserted that quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide were leaking out of certain polypropylene labware, affecting experimental results.

 

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Downcycling

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, 4.9 Useful to know, More Information 5 Comments

A comment often made about plastic recycling in, (I would suggest), a rather disparaging tone, is that it is not recycling but downcycling. 

Which seems dismissive of the recycling program and is  wrong as it does not apply to all forms of plastic recycling

So what is downcycling?

The term down-cycling is applied to a recycled product that is not as structurally strong as the original product as made from virgin materials.

This downcycled material can

  • only be used to make a different product
  • or has to be mixed with virgin materials before it can be reused to remake the original product

Paper for example; the fibres in paper degrade as they are recycled  so it goes from writing paper to loo roll, by way of newspapers.  Cotton too. The recycled fiber is of shorter and harder to spin so it needs to mixed with  virgin cotton fibers to improve yarn strengths before it can be reused.

This is true of plastic that is is mechanically recycled. The plastic gets weaker. One example of plastic  down-cycling chain is as follows

  • virgin PET bottle to fleece or carpet
  • fleece or carpet fibers to plastic lumber
  • plastic lumber to landfill though manufacturers claim that plastic lumber can be recycled again..

But why call it downcycling?

You may think I am being picky but I think that the name has negative connotations. Down-cycling suggests that the products created by recycling are moving down some kind of linear scale. And if this is so, then toilet paper  has a lesser value then writing paper. I beg to differ. Try wiping your bum  with Basildon Bond.

Applying the term downcycling to the process of plastic recycling as outlined above, seems even more counterintuitive. If you consider that a bottle has a lifespan of months, a fleece has a life span of years, a carpet decades and plastic lumber hundreds of years, it seems more like upcycling to me. The base material may not be as strong, it may may even need to be mixed with virgin plastic, but it is being used far more sensibly.

Using the term downcycling to describe this process  diminishes an essential and valuable practice that results in products with proven use whether it’s toilet paper or carpets.  Or have I got it all wrong?

The New Recycling

Just to remind you, not all recycled plastic is “down cycled” and closed loop plastic recycling is already being offered by a number of companies. For example “We take discarded soft drinks and water bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and milk bottles made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and recycle them back into food-grade plastic. The resulting rPET and rHDPE is then used to make new bottles and food packaging.”

Plus some of the new synthetic fibres can be recycled as the same fabric with no loss of quality almost indefinitely. Patagonia is promoting one such closed loop fabric recycling scheme.

Then there are the associated technologies that turn plastic waste back into oil. While you might argue that is not recycling, you would be hard pushed to call it down cycling.

Find out more about plastics that can be recycled with no loss of quality here

N.B. Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t think recycling is the answer to plastic (over) use and misuse but as part of a system of controlled usage it has a vital part to play.

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Petrol in my vegetable oil?

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, 4.9 Useful to know, More Information 6 Comments

Did you know that petroleum-derived hexane may be used to harvest your vegetable oil? No me neither but here’s how.

Extraction

Vegetable oil comes from plant components, nuts, seeds, or fruits, but typically seeds.
Oil from plants is can be obtained either chemically with the use of solvents or mechanically (often calledcrushing” or “pressing).

Solvent extraction
Most commercially produced oils are solvent extracted. This involves a chemical solvent like the petroleum-derived hexane and heat up to 500 degrees. Once the oil is dissolved, the solvent is removed by distillation.
This technique is used for most of the “newer” oils such as soybean and cannola oils. Many of these products do not give up their oil easily, it has to be forced from them.
Hexane is a colorless flammable liquid, C6H14, derived from the fractional distillation of petroleum.
It is classified as an air pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and as a neurotoxin by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It’s unclear how much hexane remains in the food after processing

Testing by Swiss scientists found no detectable levels but independent testing commissioned by the nonprofit Cornucopia Institute found hexane residues in soy oil.

The process recovers 99% of the oil but to get rid of the hexane, the oil is heated to a high temperature.
Also the high temperatures used in this process can and do change the chemical structure of oils. Many argue this reduces or even completely destroys the flavour of many delicate oils.

Mechanical The oi is squeezed or pressed out of the vegetable matter in a variety of ways;

Screw press, a large screw based mechanism in a housing. As it turns it increases the pressure and  crushes the oils out of the seeds
Ram press uses  a  mechanise  piston in a cylinder that rams out the oil. Ram presses are generally more efficient than screw presses.

Expeller-pressing
Industrial machines for extracting oil mechanically are call expellers.  They squeeze the oil out of the raw materials, under high pressure, in a single step. As the raw material is pressed, friction causes it to heat up and can sometimes exceed temperatures of 120°F (49°C). The amount of heat produced is important as heat can change the chemical structure of the oil. Wikkipedia

Cold Pressed Oils
Cold pressing tries to avoid the problems of heat. In this process the nuts, seeds, or fruits from which the oil is being harvested are ground into an even paste.
This is slowly stirred till the oil to separates from the solids.Then pressure is applied,(either with a machine or in the traditional way, with a stone) forcing the oil out.
N.B The friction caused by the pressure will increase the temperature and manufacturers must keep it within a certain degree range to be able to claim that the oil is cold pressed. This varies the world over
European Union cold pressed oil must never exceeds a certain temperature which varies depending on the source material, but is usually between 80° to 120°F (27° to 49°C).
In the United States, labeling is not as regulated, so consumers generally need to contact companies directly to enquire as to their manufacturing process.
Many people believe that cold pressed oil has a superior flavor.

Next
The extracted oil may now be purified, refined or chemically altered. More of that to come.

More

Go back to the oil index to find out about the plastic free oils and butters we use

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Chocolate – Original Beans

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 9 Comments

Oh my….. this company is leading the way. Their chocolate has to be the greenest I have yet come across.

Original Beans was founded by Philipp Kaufmann who,has worked for both the the WWF and the UN. He wanted to develop a business that would drive conservation.

So for every bar you buy, Original Beans plants a tree in the rainforest. They help conserve the rainforest and the bean farmers livlihood plus pay them a decent wage.

How

Original Beans helps establish tree nurseries, creates conservation training programs, and helps with planting buffer zones around rainforest reserves. New cacao trees generate income for farmers after three years; the other diverse plantings secure future food and firewood.

“Original Beans obligates itself to pay the farmers more than the sixfold of the official fair-trade premium in exchange for high quality and ecological commitment. This way we can convince smallholder famers to refrain from slash-and-burn pratices – the number one climate killer – and instead convert to a more sustainable semi-wild cultivation of mixed crops.”

They work with international agronomy institutes, such as the CATIE and the CIRA. Full traceability is guaranteed of all cacaos And they encourage the growing of unusual and rare cocoa beans for example they rediscovered and replanted a long forgotten and almost extinct bean , the Piura Porcelana.

The chocolate is organic which means the cacao beans have been grown in pesticide-free fields and free of preservatives.

The finished product does not additives or lecithin, raw cane sugar is used as a sweetener.

Plastic Free Packaging

There is so much more of interest But it is the packaging that really gets us going over here at PIR.

They use bio-compostable carton packaging made from FSC paper and printed with low-migration, natural inks from Lessebo Bruk.

They use  “Natureflex foil for the chocolate sector. Made from renewable FSC wood, with a thin metallised layer (0,02%), it guarantees a  high barrier to moisture, yet is garden-compostable by EU & US standards.”

And finally “To protect your chocolate, we use FLO-PAK Green packaging chips, made from 100% recycled material. They will be biologically reduced to carbon dioxide, water and humus without any residues within 1–3 years.”

Sadly I havn’t actually got to try any and at up to £4.45 A BAR IT IS NOT CHEAP.  

If any one else has tried it, please let me know how it is.

You can find places to purchase here.

And more plastic free sweets & chocolates here

Why we won’t be going to India

by Posted in 6 archive Tagged 16 Comments

The original post was written quickly to warn fellow backpackers not to head to Bangkok to apply for an Indian visa. Foreigners travelling on a tourist visa (backpackers) are no longer  allowed to apply for an India visa in Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore. Many, ourselves included were redirected  to Bangkok.  An inconvenience as we had just come from there but still. After a long train journey and a lot of form filling we got to the Bangkok visa office to find the rules had been changed again and  that non thai nationals on a tourist visa, (i.e. foreign backpackers), cannot  apply for a 3 – 6 month Indian visa in Thailand, (if you have a Thai residency the rules are different).

Since then I have updated it to take into account additional information such as why, if you are on a long trip,  you cannot apply for an Indian visa in your own country, discuss the  online Indian E visa option and explain how I think it  fails the tourist, the environment, the travel experience, small towns and local business. And Nepal.

It is possible by the time you read this the situation may have changed again.

Our story ….

We are currently backpacking and our time in Malaysia was coming to an end. The gloomy weather was closing in and the monsoon storms becoming more frequent. Time to plan our next leg of the journey. There were cheap flights from Malaysia to India (Easy Jet) and you don’t even have to stay in the more difficult KL to get them. You can get a bus to the airport from Mallaka which is a far nicer town.

The fly in the ointment?

Getting an Indian visa. It seems the Indians are doing their best to prevent visitors from visiting.

Problems With The Indian Visa

Why I Couldn’t Apply In the U.K.

We wanted a 6 month multiple entry Indian visa. Such visas begin the day they are issued and not the day you arrive in India. You cannot ask for the visa to start on later date. By the time we get to India we will have been traveling for 4 months already.  So getting the visa in the UK was not practicable.

Especially as there is no guarantee you will get what you ask for. Last time we applied for a visa, in the U.K., we asked for 6 months and were given 3. Because we traveling overland this meant we could only spend 6 weeks instead of the 3 months we planned to in India. Add to of that  we had to get there more quickly. We had to replan our trip and cut short other places.

If you don’t get what you ask for, your visa fees are not returned. From the website “Fee once received are non refundable even if the visa application is withdrawn, the visa is not granted, or if visa issued is of shorter duration of period than applied for or otherwise issued or returned at a time or on terms and conditions that may vary from those sought by the applicant.”

At 6 weeks for £82.00 this visa was expensive too.

Getting A Visa Abroad….. Or Not

However it is, or at least it was, possible to apply for an 6 month Indian visa in the country you are currently visiting. So we decided to wait until we got to Malaysia before we applied for our visa. So we got to Georgetown and went to the Indian Consulate to double check procedure only to be told  that UK passport holders (and others) can no longer apply for a 6 month Indian visa in

  • Malaysia
  • Indonesia
  • Singapore

But, we were assured, by the consulate,  this could be done in Bangkok. We sighed because we had just come from there but could see nothing for it but to get back on the train. Of course we double checked the information.

Massive Misinformation & A Long & Pointless Journey

Travel fish say “Getting a visa to India in Bangkok takes a little longer and is a bit more complicated than for most other Asian countries, but it’s not rocket science if you know where to look…..The updated embassy site now provides reliable information and working links to the India Visa Thailand page run by IVS Global.” Not blaming them as this was the case and to keep up with the vagaries of the Indian visa system is difficult.

IVS Global Indian Visa website says ”

Tourist Visa is granted to a Thai National / Foreigner who does not have a residence or Occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight-seeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives. No other activity is permissible on a Tourist Visa. The Tourist Visa is non – extendable and non-convertible.

They also clearly state that because the Indian Government is collecting biometric data you need to submit your application in person. You need to take your printed out forms to their office in Bangkok.

And on the Indian Embassy Website for Bangkok
Non-Thai Nationals Documents Required:
Completed Visa Application Form, 2 recent colour photographs – 2 inches X 2 inches, 2 photocopies of passport, to include current Thai visa page and the filled out reference form.
A copy of return flight ticket and a copy of hotel booking
For Non-Thai nationals visa is issued on the 6th working day.

So while it sounded stringent and a lot of bother,  it seemed that visas were  definitely being offered to non Thai nationals. So we decided to go for it. We

  • got the train from Malaysia to Bangkok
  • made a hotel reservation in India(refundable)
  •  filled out an e form on line,
  • took the photos
  • then downloaded the files from the website
  • found a printer shop and printed the application forms stuck the photos on got the required photocopies, to take to IVS visa application centre,

Then you get to the purchasing flights. This is another nasty twist in the application process. It is already stressful paying for a flight before you have permission to visit a country. Even more so if they have already refused you the length of stay time you asked for. It is nerve wracking, costly and ultimately pointless booking a  flight 6 months in advance when you may only be given a 3 month visa.

Besides which we don’t  want to fly out of India but go over land to Nepal.

So we decided to visit the visa office first. It was a long journey across the city followed by a long wait in the que. Just so you know, you are not allowed to read your Kindle while waiting in the que as it is an electronic device.

Got to the desk only to find that UK passport holders visiting Thailand cannot apply for an Indian visa in Bangkok

This important change in policy is obviously not mentioned on their websites.

The Online E Visa

But they said we can  get a one month E visa on arrival. I am not sure I believe them. But even if I do trust them to implement such a system efficiently, it is not  what we want.

FYI this is  how it works;

  • Citizens of 113 countries are eligible to apply for the India e-Tourist visa. The e-Visa is for international travelers whose purpose of visiting India is tourism, recreation, sight-seeing, a casual visit to meet friends or relatives, etc.
  • Applications must be made online at this website, no less than five days and no more than 30 days before the date of travel.
  • You can only fly into India and only into the following 16 airports: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum and Varanasi.
  • International Travellers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket,with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India. (I take this  to mean a plane ticket as it is impossible to get any other kind of onward ticket before you arrive in India. I certainly would not advise anyone to turn up without an onward ticket and I would class them very brave if they tried to talk their way in clutching only a bus ticket as proof of onward travel.)
  • The India ETA allows one single entry for a stay of up to 30 days in India.
  • you cannot extend. an E Visa
  • A maximum of two ETA visas can be issued within one year.(No indication of how long you need to wait before re-applying – if indeed you do)
  • Biometric data, including fingerprinting, will be collected on arrival at the border.
  • There is no list of fees on the website that I can find. Rather you have to fill out the E Visa application form on line. And I quote “at the end of the process the basic fee shall be displayed.” but according to the Telegraph  Newspaper it costs $60 (£39), for UK citizens.

Conclusions

2012 22.5 To Kunnar (22)resized

Neither visa works for the overland traveller.  In my case 

  • I had rather hoped to explore the newly opened land crossing from Myanmar
  • After India I want to visit Nepal and travel there overland

The month long visa is not an option as

  •  I have an itinary planned for India that took way longer than a month
  • India is a long way to go just for a month, it is very big and there is a lot to see
  • I want a double entry visa so I can visit Sri Lanka

I am prepared to compromise on some things but this is pushing it. I don’t like that the Indian authorities  do not  care  that folks might like to travel by train or, heaven forbid, bus. Or about global warming come to that. Rather than enrich a few big airline businesses, I  prefer to support an on-land transport infrastructure that benefits the wider community. That and global warming are among the reasons I choose to travel overland. To be prevented from doing so annoys me.

They don’t seem to want long term visitors either.  Just to submit an application for a 6 month visa we had to travel to Bangkok. Then browse the internet booking hotels and researching flights. Hotels I may not sleep in and flights I can’t catch if they don’t give me a visa. The Indian Visa Service is asking for a lot of money just to look at the application. Money they get to keep if they give me a different, shorter visa that because of the time constraints, may be of limited use. If you don’t want me to visit for 6 months I understand but don’t offer the visa.  This too is annoying.

Finally is it too much to ask that prospective applicants are kept informed about  changes in  policy. I doubt the Indian Government decided  this morning to refuse to take visa applications from  U.K. passport holders on a Thai tourist visa. I would suggest they knew about this before today. In which case they and Indian visa service could have posted the information on their website and saved us a wasted journey. We have travelled not just across town but across countries to visit this office. This is is beyond annoying.

Please note all the above information was copied from websites when I was writing this post, that is after we had been to the office and our application refused. Meaning they are still saying that foreign nationals  can apply for visas in Bangkok.

A Visa The Visitor Wants

Given all of the above I don’t feel welcome and I certainly don’t feel like a respected or even wished for guest.

You might ask why should I be welcomed or respected? Because I am a customer and the industry is worth a lot of money. Total contribution by travel and tourism sector to India’s GDP is expected to increase from US$ 136.3 billion in 2015 to US$ 275.2 billion in 2025. Travel and tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner for India. In 2014, the country managed foreign exchange earnings of USD 19.7 billion from tourism. 

A business worth so much should be nurtured and the customers valued. Surely it would make sense to ensure the country is easily accesable for the very simpe reason that if I can’t get there at the time I want, for the length of time I need then I simply won’t come. Which means my money will go elsewhere. Places that are far easier and cheaper to get into. And will let you stay longer.
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I can stay in Malaysia  for free for 3 months and Thailand for a month. I can visit any other number of South East Asian Countries for a few dollars. For all of these places I can get a visa on a land border just by turning up, (when it suits me), and filling out a simple, short form. I do not need proof of onward travel. I do not have to commit to flying and I can support the local transport infrastructure by using buses and trains.

Australia will only charge me £10.00 to apply online for a free 3 month Australian visa which is valid for a year. And doesn’t want proof of onward travel.

The E Visa System – Made to Benefit Big Business & Top End Tourism ?

at the expense of the environment, experience, overlanders and the local economy.

Yes I am annoyed because this inconveniences me but there are other far worse consequences. I really cant help but feel that this e visa/ flight combo will only benefit the big boys in the tourist industry and focus visitors on a fewer places and sites. For instance I originally planned to fly from Colombo to Madurai. The flight is a good price and I would love to visit Madurai and it’s wonderful temples. Except of course with an E Visa I can’t fly to Madurai. I would have to fly to a horrid sea side resort I don’t want to see and travel from there. But with only 1 month I wont have time. So Madurai gets dropped in favour of the already popular Varanasi.

And of course with only a month of travel time  places with airports will become even more popular. India is a huge country and train tickets are not always available when you need them. With a little more time it is possible to use public transport and home stays keeping much appreciated currency in the local economy. With reduced time its big hotels, booked on line and lots of flights.

Traveling overland is slower and you get to see so much more of the country and the people. It also means the advantages of tourism can be more widely distributed. And the disadvantages reduced. Rather than have a few cities2009 12 02 Street life 4 swamped with tourists who end up destroying that which they came to admire, the crowds and the cash could be spread. When I travel through slowly my money gets spent on local buses and in small cafes along the way

Pushing flights over other forms of transport  means more investment in a  infrastructure that only benefits the richer traveler. It means less investment in the land based infrastructure that benefits the poorer. At a time when local transport should be encouraged, in a country where many people depend on local transport this is a retrograde step and not one I wish to endorse.

In terms of the traveling experience it also has a negative impact. Traveling over land is more romantic, more authentic and often what attracts tourist in the first instance. One airport terminal looks very like another but Mumbai train station is unique. A tourist river cruise is never as satisfying as local river taxi. Yet as air travel increases many stunning train journeys are being cut and ferries are almost non existent.

I like travelling overland. When I leave India I want to go to Nepal. To meet the Indian visa requirements I have to buy an onward fight from Varanasi to Katmandu (if I can even get one). Yet there is a perfectly easy over land route from Varanasi to Khatmadu. It’s not always pretty but it is the “real India” and a memorable journey.

And yes crossing land borders can be a robust experience. I have had as many tussles with border tuk tuk sharks as the next lamb to the slaughter. Even so I would still prefer to see my rupees being snatched from me by small local business then have them taken as I am herded through the boarding gates of a huge multinational.

And I cant help feel sorry for Nepal. If we don’t go to India we don’t go to Nepal. I refuse to fly such a short distance so if we can’t go over land we won’t visit Nepal. If we don’t get a dual entry visa we don’t visit Nepal because we need fly home from India. So I guess we will not be visiting Nepal. At a time when Nepal is desperate for business.

But mostly I want to make my own choices based on what I feel is important.  The choice to travel overland, to limit my air mile, cross the landscape slowly, to rumble along in the local bus, to support local smaller businesses  and  to spread my tourist pounds.

It is with great regret that we will not be visiting India.