STUDY ON PLASTIC POLLUTION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Eco & Env)

Context: According to new study India has become the world's largest plastic polluter, releasing 9.3 million tonnes annually.

Key Highlights of the Study

• Definition of Plastic Emissions: The study defines plastic emissions as materials that move from a managed or mismanaged system (controlled or contained) to an unmanaged system (uncontrolled or uncontained — the environment).
• India’s Contribution: India accounts for nearly one-fifth of global plastic emissions.

oIndia generates approximately 0.12 kilograms of waste per capita per day.

• Global Status: Global plastic waste emissions reached 52.1 million tonnes (Mt) per year in 2020.
• Sources of Plastic Emissions: Littering is the largest emission source in the Global North, while uncollected waste dominates emissions in the Global South.
• Major Plastic Polluters: Nigeria is the second-largest plastic polluter followed by Indonesia.
• Uncollected Waste: Over two-thirds of the world's plastic pollution comes from uncollected waste, with 1.2 billion people (15% of the global population) lacking access to waste collection services.
• Open Burning of Plastic Waste in 2020: Around 30 million tonnes, or 57% of total pollution, was burned in uncontrolled conditions in 2020, posing health risks such as neurodevelopmental and reproductive disorders.

Plastic

• About: It is a broad category of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials primarily composed of polymers, characterized by their plasticity—the capacity of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation when subjected to external forces.
• Characteristic: Plastic encompasses primarily of polymers. 
• Material Source and Composition: chemicals based on fossil fuels, such as natural gas or petroleum.

India’s Efforts In Tackling Plastic Waste

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): It is based on the polluter-pays principle, which aims to include producers of material goods in the management and treatment of waste and keep raw materials and goods in the economic cycle.
• Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2022: It prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of plastic carry bags that are thinner than 120 microns.
• Plastic Parks: India has established specialized industrial zones called Plastic Parks, dedicated to recycling and processing plastic waste.