Perspectives and Lessons from Multi-stakeholder
Engagement for Plastic Waste Management
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.
![](Image/lead.jpg)
A waste collection
centre in Kerala, India
Source: Authors
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.
![](Image/lead1.jpg)
Plastic waste
management
Source: MoHUA (2019)
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
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
2019. Plastic waste management: Issues, solutions and case studies.
Details available at
http://swachhbharaturban.gov.in/writereaddata/SBM%20Plastic%20Waste%20Book.pdf?id=dmtor0kazzvmbsz2,
last accessed on 7 October, 2022
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
stparakkal@devalt.org
Alpana Gupta
agupta2@devalt.org
Back to Contents
|