With tech innovation, time to move from waste crisis to cleaner future
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The world is facing a serious plastic pollution crisis. Discovered in 1907, plastic quickly became a part of our daily lives. Today, the world produces around 53 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.
A large portion of this waste ends up in oceans and landfills, where it harms wildlife and damages ecosystems. Since 1950, humans have produced over 8 billion tonnes of plastic. Nearly half of this has gone straight to landfills, and only about 9% has been recycled.
Plastic pollution causes long-term environmental damage. It leaches toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater, pollutes rivers, and often chokes or poisons animals that unknowingly ingest it.
In 2019, a young Cuvier's beaked whale washed ashore in the Philippines. A necropsy revealed more than 40 kg of plastic inside its stomach. A similar tragedy occurred in Greece in 2021.
Wealthier and developed nations produce more plastic waste per person. In the United States, per capita plastic consumption is about 109 kg, while in India it is less than 11 kg. China uses five times more plastic than India.
However, mismanaged plastic waste — that is, plastic not properly collected, recycled, or disposed of — is more likely to reach oceans.
An estimated 5-13 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year.
About 80% of this comes from just five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Many developed countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK, export their plastic waste to Asian countries. There, it is supposed to be recycled or disposed of, but often this is done poorly. This practice can distort the true picture of how much plastic waste is being generated by both exporting and importing countries.
To assess how well countries manage their plastic waste, experts use the Mismanaged Waste Index (MWI). The United States, although a top generator of plastic waste, has a low MWI, meaning it effectively segregates and recycles waste. In contrast, India has one of the lowest per capita plastic waste levels, but a high MWI, showing that its waste management system needs improvement.
India has taken steps to address the issue.
In 2016, it banned the production of plastic bags thinner than 50 microns. This threshold was raised to 75 microns in 2021, and then to 120 microns in 2022, to reduce single-use plastics and encourage reuse.
The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules (2021) banned the manufacture, import, storage, and sale of certain single-use plastic items. The Single Use Plastic (Regulation) Bill, 2022 focuses on recycling, reuse, and other forms of plastic waste recovery.
India's commitment to sustainable development depends on reducing plastic pollution. Our municipalities should strengthen waste collection and segregation systems. Door-to-door collection of segregated waste must be strictly enforced with source segregation (dry, wet, hazardous, and plastic).
Decentralized collection centres can reduce pressure on landfills and improve recycling rates. We can also promote waste-to-resource startups that create value from used plastic. With technological innovation, India can transform its plastic waste problem into an opportunity for sustainable growth and green employment. There is significant potential for investment in a circular economy, where materials are reused, recycled, and kept in use for as long as possible.
(Writer is professor and head of the department of environmental science at BBAU, Lucknow)
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