The most eco friendly metal container in India

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No Indian whether living in urban , semi -urban or rural area could have missed a rectangular metal container which is used for packing edible oil , ghee or vanaspati. Yes I am talking of the ubiquitous 15 kg tin container.
I am of the firm belief that this 15 kg tin container happens to be the most ecofriendly metal container in India. I will give some basic characteristics of this container and the fabrication method which will justify the statement.
How many of us know that the shape and the dimensions of this container has almost remained unchanged for the last 75 years. Similar shape and dimension was of the container used during the first world war to pack kerosene. That container was used to pack four gallons of kerosene.
India sees approximately 125 - 145 million 15 kg containers being fabricated every year. The technology being used by most are outdated but the process of fabrication is so simple that more often than not every fabricator is able to meet the quality aspirations of his final customer.
If we go back 10 yrs the average thickness of tinplate in use that time was 0.29 mm and today the the average thickness of tinplate in use is 0.27 mm. So there has been reduction in use of raw material for making the container.
Till 15 yrs back all 15 kg containers made in India was soldered. Soldering was not only a costlier option but the presence of lead in solder was a avoidable thing. Sadly more than 15 % of these containers are still being made using soldering method though the quality of solder has improved considerably in this period. . For the majority of fabricators soldering has given way to cheaper welding and rubber solutions. In earlier times it was not uncommon to see a 15 kg fabrication unit full of fumes emanating from fire places used for heating the solder. The point I am making is that whole fabrication is now happening in cleaner atmosphere by using cheaper resources. Just imagine from a double body container ( all using solder ) we have moved to single body ( mostly using welding). The shift from double body container to single body container has ensured tremendous saving on tinplate usage. Today 3.2 % less tinplate is used for making the same container after this shift.
The shape of the container is such that there is hardly any scrap generated at fabrication stage barring a circular scrap. This tinplate circle scrap is generated at the time of punching the top for a hole. Today , sadly this circle has no regular use. I am happy to report that a couple of enterprising fabricators are working on modifying this punching operation on presses so that this circle can get converted into handle clip ( also called chapdi). They are working closely with chapdi welding m/c suppliers to get it right.
What makes it qualify for the top spot in eco friendly packing is its ability to be reused for the same purpose i.e packing edible oil.
There is a ban on use of second hand containers for packing oil. This ban has been there for quite sometime but somehow the authorities haven't succeeded in having it implemented.
I wonder , rather than having a ban which is not easy to enforce why can't they design a system of cleaning and quality testing these containers before reuse ( similar to what exists for soft drinks bottles). This process will ensure that only containers which passes the test by the approved cleaners will be reused. My guess is that more than 30 % of the containers which come to these cleaners will get rejected on various grounds. ( This estimation is based on my observations I have made during my various visits to container cleaning and repairing places). This in turn increase the demand for new containers.
Every metal container is recyclable and that's one reason why metal container are so much more eco friendly as compared to any other substitute packaging material.


Please put your comments. If I need to make correction anywhere I will most happily do so. If you feel that there is a metal container which is more eco friendly than this one please share it with your reasons.

If you are unable to post your comments please mail it to me at tinplate@vsnl.com