1. Background

• Measuring India's plastic problem Ban on certain single-use plastics ( SUP ) kicked in on July 1 2022 across India. 
• An array of items, including ice cream sticks. thermocouple, plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films and cigarette packets, have been banned. 
• Data from Down to Earth's State of India's Environment 2022 report show that 35 % of India's plastic waste is in the form of multi-layered packaging, which is non - recyclable. 
• Moreover, 68 % of plastic waste ends up in dumpsites and landfills, with only 12 % recycled and 20 % burnt, the report estimates. 
• According to OurWorldinData, India generates 9.5 kg of mismanaged waste that are at a high risk of entering the ocean.

2. Plastic waste share in India

3. The Need for plastic waste management

The need for plastic waste management

• Plastic was first invented in 1907, and given that it was cheaper and more convenient than other materials, it soon found use in varied ways in our daily lives. 
• Today, plastic is present in almost everything, from our money to electronic appliances, and it is used across multiple sectors, including packaging, building, construction, transportation, industrial machinery and health among others. 
• However, the lack of sustainable plastic waste management (PWM) poses a serious threat to our environment and natural ecosystem globally. 
• Data indicates that while a large quantum of plastic waste is generated, low levels of it are sustainably managed and discarded worldwide. 
• From 1950 to 2015, around 8.3 billion metric tonnes (BMTs) of plastic had been produced globally, and of this, 80 per cent – 6.3 BMTs – was accounted as plastic waste. 
• Of these 6.3 BMTs of waste, only 9 per cent was recycled, 12 per cent incinerated and 79 per cent dumped into landfills, oceans or waterbodies. 
• Various manufacturing industries across the globe produce 400 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, with the packaging industry being the largest contributor. According to a report by FICCI, 40 per cent of the packaging needs in India are fulfilled using plastic.
• Globally, plastic pollution has emerged as a serious menace in the absence of streamlined PWM focusing on the reuse, reduction, and recycling of plastic waste. 
• All developed and developing countries are individually taking actions to manage plastic waste, but the onus is mainly on developing countries. 
• The CPCB Report (2019-20) states that 3.4 million metric tonnes of plastic waste are generated in India annually. 
• There are two primary ways to manage plastic waste.
• The first is recycling or re-processing different categories of plastic waste into secondary material. The second is the incineration of plastic waste. However, incineration is expensive and causes pollution if not done using the right equipment.

4. What is single-use plastic all about

• The Plastic Waste Management Rules, amended in 2021, define single-use plastic as a plastic item intended to be used once for the same purpose before being disposed of or recycled. The United Nations defines single-use plastics, often referred to as disposable plastics, as commonly used for plastic packaging, including items intended to be used only once before being thrown away or recycled. 
• These include grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery. 
• Single-use plastic is the most popular kind of plastic due to its easy access and high use. While it is cheap, strong and hygienic for transporting goods, it is the most difficult to recycle. 
• Plastic carry bags are produced using less energy and water and generate less solid waste than paper bags as they take up less space in landfills. These salient features of single-use plastics make them a preferred material for commercial use. 
• The adverse impacts of single-use plastic have created an alarming situation across the globe with a call for countries to make commitments against plastic.

5. Rules and guidelines for plastic waste management

• To address the challenge of the mounting waste crisis in the country, India started setting up its regulatory framework on waste management almost two decades ago. 
• In 2000, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change notified the first-ever law on waste management in the form of the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules. 
• Since then, the country’s waste management regulations have developed in several aspects and undergone a massive transformation. 
• In India, the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016 and 2018 and the recently announced amendment of 2021 focus on single-use plastics. 
• The rules detail various categories of plastics and recommend recycling methods based on the type of plastic polymer used.

6. Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 were notified on March 18, 2016. These rules apply to the manufacture, import stocking, distribution, sale and use of carrying bags, plastic sheets or multilayered packaging, etc. 
• For the first time, the responsibility of waste generators has been prescribed. Individual and bulk generators like offices, commercial establishments, and industries are to segregate the plastic waste at the source, hand over segregated waste, and pay user fees as per the bye-laws of the local bodies.
• Extended Producers Responsibility (Under Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016) puts the onus on the manufacturers for the treatment, recycling, reuse or disposal of products after a consumer has used and disposed of them.

7. Four major components of plastic waste management

Component 1:  Technical model for plastic waste recycling and management

Component 2: Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for improved plastic waste management implementation

Component 3: Institutionalization of MRFs in governance bodies

Component 4: Information, education & communication (IEC) and Digitalisation

8. Priorities to minimize Single-use plastic

Mismanaged Waste