India’s Growing Waste Management Problem: The Problem of Plastic Pollution
One of the major environmental issues India is dealing with is plastic pollution because the country is getting overwhelmed by an increasing crisis of waste management. The increasing consumption and poor systems of waste disposal have caused rapid increases in plastic waste all over the country. Plastic waste piling up continuously threatens the environment and public health gravely.
India produces millions of tons of plastic wastes each year. Majority of which are kept in landfills and rivers and, sadly, oceans also. In the most recent available report, India produced more than 3.5 million tons of plastic wastes last year, and nearly all of them were not recycled. The whole scenario of these wastes has brought long-term sustainability questions in the waste management practice of this country into focus.
This is because plastic pollution arises in tandem with the rising single-use plastic products, including plastic bags, bottles, and other packaging materials. The public uses these so freely for convenience. They’re usually disposed of improperly because of inefficient systems of disposal. Together with the inefficient systems of disposing plastics, improper dumping has led to littering the streets, blocking drains, and thus polluting water bodies.
The problem is more acute in urban areas. Here, due to a huge population density, it produces an enormous quantity of wastes. It is challenging the city capitals, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, immensely to handle and reduce plastic pollution. Despite trying to mitigate it through the regulation of plastics and improving their waste management scenario, the size of the problem remains huge.
The infrastructure put in place for waste management in India is woefully unprepared to face the mountains of waste it generates, with a bulk of that amount in plastics. Policies, such as the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, aimed to reduce waste and promote recycling, have been set up, but their enforcement has not been consistent enough for their implementation to be really effective.
The major problem about plastic waste management is improper awareness regarding recycling and difficulties involved in segregation. There are not enough people, mostly in all areas of the country, aware of the proper methods for disposing of plastic items to make sure it gets disposed with the right trash so, when the people don’t know the procedure, they dump it along with common trash. This mixed garbage becomes difficult to recycle and treat further polluting the environment and harming it.
The government has introduced several initiatives concerning the problem of plastic pollution. These are abolition of single-use plastics in various states but more importantly promotion of alternatives to plastics. There have been bans on plastic bags and other single-use plastic items with other items in various states. However, the challenge is the enforcement of such measures along with illegal trade.
According to experts, the plastic waste issue can be addressed only if a multi-pronged approach is used. On one hand, source-level segregation needs to improve. Use of alternative materials should increase, and infrastructure for recycling needs to be improved. Public awareness on responsible use of plastics must increase too. Over-all improvement in the collection and disposal of wastes, either in the urban or rural levels, are also in order.
Now several cities have evolved for adaptation with the latest available technology pertaining to more modern modes of waste management. For instance, in many other cities, waste plastics get consumed to yield power in these waste-to-energy plants. So it is indeed reducing the landfill besides contributing to this aspect of reductions of wastes together with countering the shortfall being there in producing energy. Cities use recycled plastics as raw materials in the making of roads and constructions; as it is managing plastic, it gives an angle through which building is done in the most sustainable way.
This is the most critical step that needs to be taken against plastic pollution: a proper recycling ecosystem is missing. Reports state that in India, only 60-70% of the plastic waste collected is for the purpose of recycling and is majorly downcycled to produce low-quality products. India must look up at modern technologies to scale up its recycling rates and encourage private players in collection and recycling of wastes.
With a fast-growing population of India and huge waste generation, the plastic pollution issue in the country is only fueled further. An increase in the number of urban residents will increase the demand for plastic products and raise the load on the waste management systems. According to experts, more efficient and sustainable waste management systems that match the growth of population and consumption patterns are the need of the hour to solve this problem.
Role also in the producers and business has importance in checking the plastic polluting issue in nature. A time has already arrived when organizations start to consider and opt more responsible packaging ways rather than unsustainable, and as their products need responsible disposal and a life time. The States today introduce some forms of schemes about Extended Producer Responsibility so as the manufacturers or those producers responsible to collect such kinds of plaste wastes recycling so this cannot occur until unless such numbers enhance.
Conclusion:With such international recognition coming for India’s efforts at halting plastic pollution, efforts follow in interlocking collaboration from governments, NGOs, and concerned business groups, including better management practices from international best practices to a close coordination within the different stake-holders and better output management of wastes from the Centre. India has ratified the Global Plastics Treaty, which came as a measure in addressing plastic pollution on an international level through the UNEP. Though a long way ahead, the intent on India’s side to end plastic pollution can be seen with how it works at improving waste management, increasing recycling, and generally reducing plastics use. Slowly, people and businesses alike have started waking up to the sustainable path and what that entails of personal, corporate, and government activities for the well-being of an environment in clean health.