With the threat of plastic pollution growing day by day, discuss in detail the significance and status of the plastic waste management.
Every year, June 5th, World Environment Day (WeD) unites citizens, communities, and countries in a collective commitment to environmental stewardship. This year, the theme – Ending Plastic Pollution Globally – is a clarion call to confront one of the planet’s most pressing crises: plastic pollution.
The menace of plastic pollution:
- Plastic Pollution is the accumulation of man-made plastic products in the environment to the point where they create problems for wildlife, their habitats, and human populations.
- The ill consequences of plastic pollution are aggravated by the non-biodegradable nature or slow degradation of plastic.
Sources: Plastic waste can be broadly classified into several types based on its composition and usage.
Single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws, and packaging materials, are designed for short-term use and are a major contributor to plastic pollution.
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than 5mm in size, result from the breakdown of larger plastics or are directly released from products like cosmetics.
Hard plastics include durable items like bottles, containers, and household goods, which take longer to degrade.
Thermoset plastics, used in electronics and automotive parts, cannot be remoulded or recycled easily.
Effects: Plastic pollution has numerous harmful effects on the environment, wildlife, and human health:
Marine life impact: Millions of marine animals are harmed or killed each year by ingesting plastic or becoming entangled in it.
Ecosystem damage: Plastics take hundreds of years to decompose, disrupting ecosystems and releasing toxic chemicals into soil and water, contributing plastic pollution.
Human health risks: Microplastics have been found in food, water, and even the air, potentially leading to health issues such as hormonal imbalances and respiratory problems.
Economic costs: Cleaning up plastic pollution and the loss of biodiversity has significant economic implications for industries such as tourism and fishing.
Plastic pollution in India:
- India generates approximately 9.3 million tonnes of plastic pollution annually. Out of this, 5.8 million tonnes (mt) are incinerated, while 3.5 million tonnes are released into the environment as debris.
- This figure is significantly higher than Nigeria (3.5 mt), Indonesia (3.4 mt), and China (2.8 mt).
- India’s waste generation rate is approximately 0.12 kilograms per capita per day.
The measures taken to curb the plastic pollution:
- The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2022 aim to curb the generation of plastic waste and hence reduce plastic pollution.
- Guidelines on EPR: The guidelines on EPR(Extended Producer Responsibility) coupled with the prohibition of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, with effect from 1st July 2022.
Classification of Plastics: The new rules classify plastics into four categories:
Category 1 will include rigid plastic packaging
Category 2 will include flexible plastic packaging of single layer or multilayer (more than one layer with different types of plastic), plastic sheets and covers made of plastic sheet, carry bags, plastic sachet or pouches.
Category 3 will include Multi-layered plastic packaging (at least one layer of plastic and at least one layer of material other than plastic)
Category 4 will include plastic sheet or like used for packaging as well as carry bags made of compostable plastics fall.
Recycling and Reusing: The new regulations mandate recycling and reusing a certain percentage of plastic produced by manufacturers, importers and brand owners.
Details of Recycling Certificates: According to the new rules, the producers, importers and brand-owners shall have to provide the details of recycling certificates only from registered recyclers along with the details of quantity sent for end-of-life disposal, by June 30 of next financial year while filing annual returns on the online portal.
Centralised Online Portal: The government has also called for establishing a centralised online portal by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the registration as well as filing of annual returns by producers, importers and brand-owners, plastic waste processors of plastic packaging waste by March 31.
The centralised portal would act as the single point data repository with respect to orders and guidelines related to implementation of EPR for plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rule, 2016.
Environmental Compensation: It shall be levied based upon the polluter pays principle, with respect to non-fulfilment of EPR targets by producers, importers and brand owners, for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and preventing, controlling and abating environment pollution.
- The funds collected shall be utilized for the collection, recycling and end-of-life disposal of uncollected plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner.
- Setting Up of a Committee: The government has announced the setting up of a committee, which shall be constituted by the CPCB under the chairpersonship of the CPCB chairman, to recommend measures to the environment ministry for effective implementation of EPR, including amendments to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines.
- India is a signatory to MARPOL (International Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution).
- The “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon” has been launched as a unique competition calling upon start-ups /entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single-use plastics.
Prakriti & Green Initiatives for Effective Plastic Waste Management.
- The Union Ministry of Environment has launched Mascot ‘Prakriti’ to spread awareness about small changes that can be sustainably adopted in the lifestyle for a better environment for plastic pollution.
Other green initiatives for plastic waste management causing plastic pollution include:
1. Swachh Bharat Mission
2. India Plastics Pact
3. Project REPLAN (REducing PLAstic in Nature by KVIC)
4. Un-Plastic Collective
5. GoLitter Partnerships Project
6. National Dashboard on Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management,
7. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal for Plastic Packaging,
8. Mobile App for Single Use Plastics Grievance Redressal,
9. Monitoring module for SUP,
10. Industrial production of Graphene from Waste Plastic, etc.
Alarming threats of the plastic pollution on the environment:
- Every year, 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide, according to the UN.
- Half of this plastic is designed to be used only once, and only 10 per cent is recycled.
- Between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, and without urgent action, this figure is expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2040.
- Plastic pollution is contaminating every corner of the planet, threatening ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.
- Microplastics are found in food, water and air, with the average person estimated to ingest over 50,000 plastic particles each year, and far more when inhalation is included.
- If the climate crisis goes unaddressed, with plastic pollution as a major driver, air pollution levels exceeding safe thresholds could rise by 50 per cent within a decade.
- Meanwhile, plastic pollution in marine and freshwater environments may triple by 2040.
Way forward:
Circular Economy: Promote RRR i.e. reduce, reuse and recyclability in design, set up recovery facilities, incentivize recycled plastics, and mandate recycled content in products.
Smart Waste Management: Integrate smart technology in waste management with IoT-enabled bins, AI for sorting, and mobile apps for reporting illegal dumping and locating recycling centres.
Awareness Campaigns: Launch national campaigns in multiple languages, integrate plastic waste education in schools, conduct community workshops, and use influencers to promote plastic-free lifestyles. Establish a national innovation challenge for youth involvement.
Waste-to-Energy: Invest in advanced waste-to-energy technologies like pyrolysis and gasification for non-recyclable plastics. Ensure strict emissions controls and use generated energy to power waste management facilities.
A major focus of the day is the ongoing push for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Countries are currently negotiating an international, legally binding agreement, with the next round of talks scheduled for August, as per UNEP.
News:
Campaign intensifies for the Fight to End Plastic Pollution on World Environment Day
Source: