Efficient management can turn the plastic industry into a valuable asset minus the health hazards

Urban Update, All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) organised a webinar as part of the ‘E-Dialogues’ Series in association with United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). Dr Kulwant Singh mediated the webinar. Amit Jain, Managing Director, IRG Systems South Asia Pvt Ltd; Trish Hyde, Director, Plasticity Global, Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), The Plastics Circle; Tathagata Ghosh, Programme Officer, (UNDP) India; and OP Ratra, Plastic waste management expert were part of the panel for the Webinar.
Dr Singh, while introducing the topic of the webinar, cited that the plastic industry has usage in a wide variety of sectors such as electronics, healthcare, and therefore is among the fastest-growing market. India is witnessing a rise in production and consumption of plastic, which is good for the market but is a root for a greater concern for the lack of an organised mechanism for plastic waste disposal and recycling. He stated that India generates more than 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste each day.
Amit Jain’s presentation showed how the plastic generated finds its way to the water ecosystem through soil, pipelines, or drainage system. He said, “Demography, economic growth & growing purchasing power and domestic private consumption are major drives for plastic consumption, plastic waste generation accompanied by plastic pollution and marine litter in South Asia.” Plastic gets transported to the river banks and rivers become major carriers of plastic waste into the marine ecosystem. Inadequate waste management leads to leakage in the Plastic Value Chain, implying that there are major issues in the collection, transportation, waste treatment, and disposal, which need to be ramped up. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, India generates 3.36 million metric tonnes of total plastic waste per annum. States such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu contribute a large amount to this number. He added that the implementation of Extended Pollution Responsibility (EPR) based Regulation is faltering as no single registry for stakeholders is available and no specific target has been set. The regulation requires the integration of the informal sector into it and strengthening of infrastructure. He suggested that authorities can prioritise different areas based on the data of leakage in the plastic value chain and consider the different types of counter measures. Dr.Kulwant added that plastic waste is not a waste but wealth if properly managed and recycled appropriately.
Trish’s presentation was titled ‘The Circular Economy of Plastics.’ It elucidated the difference between the ideal circular economy and the current circular economy in the plastic industry. The ideal circle involves demand, use, and recovery but today’s circle has either plastic collection getting dumped directly or if it is recovered, it gets down-cycled, which is unproductive. She said, “Circular economy is an economic means to address the environmental harm of plastic pollution. It requires both environmental and economic involvement and pragmatism”. She emphasised the miscommunication and lack of awareness in market bio-based and bio-degradable plastic if packaging papers have added plastic, which can ruin paper and plastic recycling at the same time. All plastics are recyclable but only some are commercially viable for recycling. She displayed gladness on the trend coming among brands where environmental impact equals trust.
Ghosh mentioned the plastic waste management programme, which was started in 2018 in collaboration with Coca-cola and Hindustan Unilever. Waste management in India largely depends on the informal sector and this project aims at bringing 90,000 tonnes of total plastic waste generated into a traceable recycling chain. Four key components of the project include socio-technical model (developing economically sustainable approach addressing national priorities), material recovery system, institutionalising Swacchata Kendra (mainstreaming socio-economic condition of waste pickers with dignity and respect), and knowledge management (communication to sensitise citizens and involve them in the waste eco-system).
A Swacchata Kendra (Material Recovery Facility- MRF) under this programme will be equipped with machinery for better efficiency, will have basic amenities such as safe drinking water, toilets, and a safe working environment, and will facilitate waste flow, data recording, and traceability. His presentation elaborated waste inflow from the municipal system collectors, aggregators, independent waste pickers, religious places, commercial activities, etc into MRF where the waste is treated like shredding low-density polyethylene (LDPE-based plastic) which is sent for road-laying composite or treating ghatta material so that it can be further used in agri-pipe making process or connecting other dry waste to appropriate recyclers.
OP Ratra said that India currently stands at the top position in terms of recycling. 60 per cent of the dry waste we generate gets recycled and it is so because of the small rag pickers in the country. The garbage collectors segregate dry waste into different kinds of plastics. It is a skill that they have learned on their own, which makes the informal sector play a crucial role in waste management. There has been an overgrowth of the plastic packaging industry and the plastic used is discarded and is not sent for getting recycled. His presentation added, “Plastics are recyclable according to IS: 14534–1998 and environment friendly”. He added that plastic is not a health hazard but only an innate material that can be turned into a great asset if managed and recycled properly.
Dr.Kulwant concluded the session by mentioning how the government can increase investment in plastic waste management by bringing adequate machinery, practicing a seamless plastic value chain. This will create a circular plastic economy and an opportunity for the plastic industry to grow better without harming the environment, thus enhancing the country’s GDP.