India produces approximately 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day, making us the 15th biggest plastic polluter globally. Plastic waste litter roads, rivers and also produce huge mounds in garbage dumps.
Throughout the monsoon, plastic bottles at the dump pile water and are a breeding territory for mosquitoes. Besides the stink, the site poses a health hazard for the residents, exhibiting them to mosquito-borne diseases.
Giant scourge
“Plastic is 8% of the solid waste produced annually, with Delhi offering the most prominent quantity, accompanied by Kolkata and Ahmedabad,” said a 2018 report by the Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), quoting data from India’s central pollution control board (CPCB).
25940 tonnes of waste are produced in India every day as per the CPCB. 94% are thermoplastic or recyclable materials. Although, these materials can be recycled up to 7-9 times. After which we have to be disposed of.
The CPCB, in 2014, estimated that India recycles as much as 80.28% of plastic waste because of rag pickers. Who collect and segregate the waste. But, out of the non-recyclable waste, only 28.4% could be treated before being disposed of. And leave the rest to contaminate landfills or rivers, and seas.
However, The government has notified that the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, prohibit identified single-use plastic items by 2022.
Over time such policies by central and state governments have been enacted with little success to curb the menace. Many of those laws enacted failed due to a lack of citizens’ will. Until we are aware and take a pledge to avoid plastic use, no law can be effective.