Plastic has become an unavoidable part of our lives. As per the United Nations Environment Programme report, the world produces 400 million tonnes of single-use plastic waste annually which constitutes 47 per cent of the total plastic waste. It is estimated that only 9 per cent of plastic is getting recycled worldwide. Plastic is omnipresent and undoubtedly the backbone of globalization. Passive attitude hinders advancements due to their inadequate legal provisions, waste infrastructures, resource constraints and lack of awareness among the public which needs to be addressed structurally and functionally to pave the way for plastic sustainability.
With the growing consumerism movement, India is also facing the heat and pressure for plastic waste management. Interestingly, almost 60 per cent of the total plastic waste generated in India gets recycled while the remaining escapes into the environment. Unfortunately, most of this plastic is cascaded and we need to work towards creating robust and stringent waste management tools for a dramatic improvement of the situation. A combination of legal measures, instruments or punitive actions and awareness campaigns needs to be floated to break habits of mindless disposal and create measurable shifts.
Target-based programs are a good way to create an effective nation-wide Waste Management performance. It is imperative for the government, local bodies and civilians to work towards a common target. Further, we need to seek encouragement from developing countries such as Indonesia and Kenya who have overcome the plastic waste disposal challenge to become a global inspiration. In 2008, Rwanda, despite financial constraint became a pioneer in banning the disposal of plastic and has transformed into one of the cleanest nations on the globe.
Long-term impacts and solution to the overall problem of the issue can be addressed by establishing better waste management systems by improving source segregation; designing effective municipal solid waste (MSW) plans; ensuring collection and transportation of segregated waste and encouraging our citizens to identify and use plastics mindfully. Recycling and up-cycling of plastic is a growing industry for it kills two birds with one stone. It not only helps resolve the issue of treating the waste but also creates jobs and business opportunities for developed and developing countries.
Banning single-use plastics is a high priority. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the government to adopt a comprehensive strategy that can prevent the excessive generation of disposable plastics and then ascertain techniques to sustainably manage the end-of-life of their products. This includes paving a smooth legal roadmap for extended producers responsibility (EPR), co-processing and incineration in the nation.
Further new R&D and innovation are converting plastic packaging into a biodegradable product - one that in its entirety will “completely break down and return to nature, i.e., decompose in carbon dioxide, water, and biomass within a reasonably short period of 12 months after customary disposal ” under the right conditions. Compostable Packaging has also made its first few footprints by garnering rave reviews. Compostable means that a product is capable of disintegrating into natural elements in a compost environment, leaving no toxicity in the soil. This typically must occur in about 90 days. Making sustainable choices over price sensitivity and convenience is a slow but result-oriented approach that the world should move to.