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As per recent estimates, India's per capita plastic waste generation has doubled over the last five years and it is generating about 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually (The Economic Times, 2022). Countries worldwide are grappling with the plastic waste crisis. In order to deal with this crisis, it is essential to be mindful that efficient plastic waste management cannot be achieved only through good governance but through a collective effort by all stakeholders of the plastic value chain. This article focuses on the role of policy frameworks and institutions and community- and industry-led interventions in efficiently managing plastic waste. The learnings shared in this article are the excerpts of our in-depth stakeholder interactions with representatives from nodal ministries, academic institutions, NGOs, CSOs, urban local bodies, industry associations, and international cross-sectoral policy-implementing agencies in the Indian scenario. The key goal of these interactions with regard to understanding the policy framework for plastic waste management in India was to identify gaps and challenges in implementing current policies and circular economy enablers. Some of the major challenges identified are lack of clarity in the policy, lack of cross-sectoral consultation, inadequate enforcement and infrastructure, non-availability of alternatives, lack of availability and transparency in plastic waste-related data and the non-integration of the informal sector into the system. These challenges lead to the inefficient implementation of regulations. Moreover, consumer apathy, lack of policies to support recycling enterprises and repair economy, and inadequate research and technology in this sector are significant barriers to advancing towards a circular economy in plastics. During the interactions, some urgent actions that are required to accelerate the circular economy of plastics emerged. These are ensuring compliance monitoring, providing improved technological support to the plastic industry, and conducting capacity-building and awareness generation programmes across the nation. The need for baseline assessment of social, environmental, and economic indicators related to plastic waste and standardising operation processes, development of innovative alternatives to plastic products, and packaging designs was also emphasised.
A waste collection
centre in Kerala, India Furthermore, the objective of the stakeholder interactions with regard to the community- and industry-led initiatives was to identify the issues they address and their potential contribution to a circular economy, including common strategies and gaps. The major issues highlighted were the lack of waste segregation and open dumping of waste into the water bodies, which leads the water bodies to clog. The lack of proper infrastructure for the treatment of the waste collected in rural areas, logistics costs involved in recycling, transportation, and high labour cost were some other challenges that were highlighted during the interactions. Additionally, viable and cheap alternative materials are not available to achieve the transition to circular practices. It was also found that individuals of higher socio-economic status are often not ready to pay for waste management services. Some of the indicators required for the growth of the community and industry-led initiatives include adequate community engagement, support from the government, faith and transparency within and among different institutions.
Plastic waste
management India is proactively working towards tackling the plastic waste crisis, which can be seen in initiatives including Swachh Bharat Mission, the recent ban on single-use plastic items, and various community and industry-led interventions. On the one hand, community- and industry-led initiatives have helped bring about behaviour changes and initiate good practices. On the other hand, constant practice of learning and un-learning and cross-sectoral experts committee consultations have led to frequent revisions of the plastic policy frameworks resulting in a comprehensive set of rules and regulations. However, the effective implementation of community- and industry-led interventions and policy regulations heavily depends on how well the country addresses the challenges and enablers discussed in this article.
References
The Economic Times. 2022. India generates 3.5 million tonnes plastic waste annually: Environment Minister. Details available at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/environment/india-generates-3-5-million-tonnes-plastic-waste-annually-environment-minister/articleshow/90668558.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst, last accessed on 7 October, 2022.
Sherine Thanduparakkal
Alpana Gupta |
