India’s ‘war’ against tide of plastic waste

The state of Maharashtra’s ban on several consumer articles made of plastic, introduced after a three-month notice period to industry and users, is an extreme measure. It is naturally disruptive, and Mumbai, famed for its resilience in the face of urban challenges, is trying to adapt quickly.

Today, stemming the plastic tide is a national imperative. India hosted this year’s World Environment Day and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a high-profile pledge, to international acclaim, that it would do away with all single-use plastics by 2022. This goal is not yet backed by an action plan so that state governments and local bodies can be in sync. Worldwide, the problem has got out of hand, with only nine per cent of about nine billion tonnes of plastic produced getting recycled.

To address the global concern that the bulk of India’s plastic waste – estimated officially at 26,000 tonnes a day – is being dumped in the oceans, there has to be an effort on a war footing to segregate it at source. In parallel, incentives to reduce the use of plastic carry bags, single-use cups, plates and cutlery must be in place. Retailers must be required to switch to paper bags. As the United Nations Environment Programme notes, plastic’s wild popularity has turned it into a scourge. Consumers will be ready to make the switch, but they need good alternatives.