NEW DELHI: In the next three years, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) wants to expand its plastic waste management programme to 100 cities across India. The move aims to combat the immediate and long-term challenges posed by plastic pollution. The main objective is to improve waste management across cities and towns and find solution to widespread challenge of littering in India.
The programme had started in 2018, but was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the programme has collected 83,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste. It is set to conclude in 2024.
UNDP India and NITI Aayog have jointly created a handbook on ‘Sustainable Urban Plastic Waste Management’. The booklet contains best practices and case studies from India and Southeast Asia, which confront similar plastic waste issues.