India has become the top plastic polluter, releasing 9.3 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic annually.
This is nearly one-fifth of the world’s total plastic emissions.
Other Top Polluters
- Nigeria ranks second with 3.5 Mt of emissions.
- Indonesia is third with 3.4 Mt.
- China, previously ranked first, is now fourth.
- It is due to better waste management through incineration and controlled landfills.
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About Plastic Emissions
- Plastic emissions refer to plastic moving from managed or controlled systems to unmanaged or uncontrolled environments.
- These emissions occur throughout the lifecycle of plastic, from production to disposal
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC)
- This committee was established in 2022.
- Institution: United Nations Environment Programme
- Objective: It aimed to develop a global binding treaty on plastic pollution.
- It focuses on addressing the entire cycle of plastic.
- INC sessions
- INC-1 – Punta del Este, Uruguay ( Nov)2022
- INC-2- occurred in Paris, France ( May – June 2023)
- INC-3 – occurred in Nairobi (Dec 2023)
- INC-4 – Ottawa, Canada ( 2024)
- INC-5 – Scheduled for South Korea (2024 Nov)
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- Causes of Plastic Emission
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- Improper Waste Management: Poor waste management systems result in plastic waste being dumped in landfills, oceans, and other places.
- Industrial and Urban Runoff: Plastic waste from factories and cities often flows into rivers and oceans due to water runoff.
- Open Burning: Burning of plastic waste in open areas, especially in rural regions, which contributes to emissions.
Status of Waste Generation in India
- Low Waste Generation Estimates
- India’s official waste generation is reported as 0.12 kilograms per person per day.
- The reported waste collection rates in India are likely higher than the actual figures.
- Excluded Factors in Official Data
- Official reports do not include waste from rural areas.
- Waste recycled by informal sectors is not accounted for.
- Open burning of uncollected waste is also missing from the official statistics.
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Global Trends in Plastic Pollution
- Main Sources of Plastic Pollution
| Global North: These are the world’s developed countries.
Global South: These are the world’s developing countries and least developed countries. |
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- In the Global North, littering is the biggest cause of plastic emissions.
- In the Global South, uncollected waste is the main source of plastic pollution.
- Top Polluting Countries
- 69% of the world’s plastic waste emissions come from 20 countries.
- Most of these countries are low- and middle-income nations.
- High-Income Countries
- High-income countries produce more plastic waste.
- However, they are not in the top 90 polluters because they have better systems for waste collection and disposal.
Initiatives taken to Curb Plastic Waste in India
- UNDP India’s Plastic Waste Management Program (2018-2024): This program aims to reduce the impact of plastic waste on the environment.
- It was focused on improving plastic waste management practices in India.
- Ban on Single-Use Plastics (SUP): The Ministry of Environment banned hard-to-collect and recycle Single-Use Plastic (SUP) items.
- Manufacturing, importing, selling, and using plastic bags thinner than 120 microns is prohibited.
- Plastic Waste Management Rules: The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging.
- These rules set targets for:
- Recycling plastic packaging waste.
- Reusing rigid plastic packaging.
- Using recycled plastic in packaging.
- Swachh Bharat Mission: started in 2014, aims to remove open defecation and improve waste management.
- India Plastics Pact: This initiative aims at transforming the life cycle of plastic.
- Project REPLAN: Replan stands REducing PLastic in Nature.
- It aimed to make carry bags by mixing plastic waste with cotton fibers.
- Un-Plastic Collective: ‘un-plastic means moving all plastic in a circular economy and eliminating unnecessary plastic.
- This initiative aims to reduce negative environmental impact on the planet’s well -being.
- GoLitter Partnerships Project: This initiative was taken to reduce marine plastic litter from fisheries and shipping.
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Global initiatives to tackle plastic pollution
- Closing the Loop: This project is of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
- It aims to help cities in creating policy solutions to address issues related to plastic waste.
- Global Tourism Plastics Initiative: This initiative aims to cut down the pollution levels from the tourism industry by 2025.
- Single-Use Plastics : It is a part of the EU plan that took place in 2021.
- The main objective of this directive is to reduce plastic waste in the environment.
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September 6, 2024
