Banning Plastic Cannot Solve the Waste Problem

Before we try to implement waste management policies, we need to instil responsible behaviour among citizens.

(Photo: iStock/Altered by The Quint)

We have all heard or read the colloquial phrase – “An idea is only as good as its execution.” This catchphrase resonates seamlessly with the times we are living in.

To curtail the problem of waste, which has literally engulfed the nation, our government has introduced several environmental policy decisions over the last few years that have garnered considerable attention.

While the intention behind these policies were reigned by concerns over preserving the environment, their improper implementation has raised many eyebrows.

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Maharashtra Govt Orders Ban on Plastic

Recently, the Government of Maharashtra ordered a public ban on plastic. While the intent of the government to safeguard our ecology must be appreciated, banning anything is not an ideal solution to the problem of urban environmental degradation.

Prohibiting single-use plastics, such as bags and straws, is a welcome move. However, there ought to be different rules for single-use plastics, and consumer plastics used in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles or HDPE (high density polyethylene) containers, that are widely available.

Implementation of a ban is likely to be a mammoth challenge if viable alternative solutions are not thought through in advance. Instead of focusing on fortifying, and in some cases reviving our waste management system, we have crowned all kinds of plastics as the sole reason of our country’s environmental problems.

In our journey towards a sedentary lifestyle, we seem to have forgotten that the garbage/waste doesn’t have legs. So, there is a need to focus on implementing a mechanism which assures that the waste that we produce receives the end-of-life treatment it deserves.

Glass Can’t Replace Plastic

There is a reason why plastic seems omnipresent. It is inexpensive, light, highly durable and recyclable. Every industry uses plastic in some form or other, be it aircraft, cars or food packaging. Also, an eco-friendly substitute for plastic (for all purposes) has not been found till date.

For example, if the authorities are considering glass bottles as a substitute for PET bottles which are 100 percent recyclable, they should be willing to address the multiple new challenges it entails that defeat the purpose of conserving the environment.

Glass requires higher energy for the manufacturing process as it is made from sand at temperatures above 1,500-degree celsius. Since glass is heavier, transporting it would require more heavy vehicles to ply on the road, increasing carbon emission. Once a glass bottle has been used, the amount of water needed for washing per consignment of glass bottles is approximately 20 litres, implying heavy water usage in a state which reels under a drought-like situation almost every year. Using the same amount of water on agriculture, and helping the farming community instead, would be a more logical step.

In fact, as per a report by the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, close to 70 percent of PET bottles get recycled through the organised sector in the country. The annual PET recycling business in India is at an estimated Rs 3,500 crore. In fact, the Indian cricket team’s jersey is made from recycled PET.

A Bad Workman Always Blames His Tools

The need of the hour is to collectively address the real problem that is harming the environment – our irresponsibility that makes us litter. Our callousness is visible in our casual dumping of trash on the streets and then blaming the government when there’s flooding after the rains. There is an urgent need to foster a social change to stop littering.

According to a report released by FICCI, the per capita consumption of plastic in India stands at 11 kg, in comparison with that of the world, which is at 28 kg. The consumption of plastic stands at 100 kg in the developed countries like USA, UK, Germany, etc.

Despite our consumption of plastic being much lower, the problem of waste is more severe in India as compared to the other nations due to inadequate waste management and recycling efforts.

Maharashtra and the rest of the country need to adopt stringent, low-cost and executable waste management processes like incentivised reverse recycling, a solution adopted successfully across the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore. Not only will this address the public problem of littering, but also help bring ragpickers into the organised sector and ensure their daily wages are not choked suddenly.

However, for waste management solutions to become a reality, the public must be educated — the government must extend ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ beyond building toilets, and focus on the need to curb littering.

Answer to Managing Waste: Extended Producer Responsibility

As we move towards a circular economy, there should be a natural progression towards improving waste management systems and generating awareness among citizens about different plastics and their different uses, and their respective rates of recyclablibility. Further, industries and the government should work towards establishing sustainable models to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Plastics like 100 percent recyclable PET can be the single largest contributor to the success of EPR implementation.

The idea behind EPR is to encourage producers and FMCG companies to take up the responsibility for collection of the used products or packaging material, transporting and ensure its safe recycling or disposal. Various countries across the globe including UK, France, Japan have implemented successful EPR schemes.

The producers in these countries pay an upfront fee proportional to how many products they place in the market. This money is later used to fund the collection of waste and ensures safe recycling. Indian producers can choose to replicate the same model and delegate the project to third-party contractors to manage it.

While it is laudable to take stringent decisions to bring about a positive change, it should be done with prior planning in consultation with experts.

(The author is Secretary (Northern Region), Indian Chemical Council and Former Head – Chemicals and Petroche micals Division, FICCI. Views expressed are personal. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)

(This article is being republished for World Environment Day on 5 June, it was originally published on 26 April, 2018)

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