- The collection mechanism of plastic wastes needs to be stronger and is possible with the responsible participation of citizens
- Plastic has proved to be an essential product used in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit during COVID19
- Big players of the industry must focus on their plastic waste disposable system
The Indian plastics market is massive and has one of the highest growth rates in the world with the consumption of plastics growing at 16% per annum, as per research. The recent plastic product boom has also attracted sincere enthusiasm from the manufacturing sector for bringing about a sustainable ecosystem without truncating financial benefits. After all, for a product to be 100% sustainable, it should be economically, socially, and environmentally viable too. The contribution of plastics is positive when it meets the criteria of the above three pillars of sustainability.
Despite the convenience of plastics, a war is being waged against them by the Government of India for quite some time now. In India, communities of environmentalists, climate activists, scientists, students, and NGOs, among others, have been voicing their growing discontent against the piling of plastic waste. While the government has been proactive in trying to solve the issue, little has been achieved in curbing the mounting use of plastic products.
In 2016, the government formulated Plastic Waste Management Rules. Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change proposed to implement a countrywide ban on the manufacture, use, sale, import, and handling of some of the single-use plastic products by 2022. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier appealed to the citizens of the country to take steps towards getting rid of plastics.
However, the plastics industry which has been growing spectacularly for the past two decades has been wary of a disastrous setback if restrictions are imposed on the use of its products. Few individuals have tried to address myths of plastic usage that people should first understand before blaming plastic for being an active pollutant.
Patron and chairman of the Environment Committee of All India Plastic Industries Association, (AIPIA) Ravi Kumar Aggarwal, who has been passionately advocating for a sustainable environment, believes, “ Plastic carries tremendous monetary value, and even the dirtiest plastics are recyclable into fresh products.”
The viable alternative for plastic is limited, asserts Aggarwal. “The only bottleneck right now is the collection of plastic wastes. The collection mechanism needs to be updated”, adds Aggarwal. He emphasizes that the Government has already mandated local bodies across urban India to collect municipal solid waste or plastics and segregate it.
Apart from the government’s initiatives, people in general also need to be aware and conscious of the harms of littering plastic. Collective work towards integrated collection management of plastic waste has been in place for a long but without bearing any substantial result.
Evidently, mitigating the plastic waste conundrum should be a priority of every citizen. It should not squarely rest on the shoulders of government as individuals and key industry players remain nonchalant.
On one hand, we see that the government is trying to phase out single-use plastics but in the fight against COVID19, plastic has proved to be an essential product used in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit which has proved resourceful in battling infection to the front-line workers.
YV Raman, Director, POCL Enterprises Limited, says that single-use or disposable plastic was very useful during the pandemic, however, the concern arises while openly discarding the plastic products.” Raman also added that the government has been tapping the small players in the plastic industry but not the big corporates who need to streamline their waste disposable system responsibly and ensure the toxins are not causing environmental pollution.
In 2019, Constantia Flexibles opened the world’s first plant designed to produce more sustainable, recyclable, and flexible packaging in India. The main objective is to produce green and suitable packaging alternatives, assure high recyclability of its products, and reduce carbon footprint. The company has designed the world’s first plant dedicated to producing sustainable packaging options. Constantia Flexibles fills up the cavities left by damaging industrial processes by contriving such a forward-looking project that is capable of creating a cleaner and healthier living space.
Although the process of recycling plastics has been going on for a few decades in India, without the active collaboration of industry stakeholders, government, and common people, incorporating a renewable and continuous waste management system would be forever a distant dream.
