Dr. Arvind Kumar*
NO ONE IS USING PLASTICS !!
Single use plastics is banned, still SUPs are readily available in the market, is being used shamelessly and its waste is as abundantly found as it was two years back. Where do these SUPs come from? Are some companies producing them illegally? Do people understand what was banned and what was not? What has changed? Why are we unable to implement this crucial law which not only benefits our environment but also our health? As per OECD plastics contributed to 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, about 1.8 billion tons, primarily due to their production and fossil fuel conversion. Alarmingly, this figure is expected to more than double by 2060.
We are living in age that is highly disposable and consumptive. Use and throw has become a part of our day-to-day lifestyle. A large number of Indians have abandoned their traditional practices and with consumerism and increased purchasing power are adopting a highly wasteful pattern of resource use sinking into a vicious use and throw cycle. Plastic is not naturally degradable within a short period of time and if we continue to dump our plastic waste in landfills, drains, creeks, rivers or even in ponds it could choke aquatic and marine life, hamper the natural decay of other bio-degradable wastes, make water unfit for use, and because it chokes the water ways create a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. With plastic in oceans rivers and land animals like cows, whales, birds feed on plastic. The animals eat garbage and lumps of plastic of between ten and sixty kilos have been found in their stomachs. Because the plastic cannot pass out of the stomach, the lump continues to grow until the animal dies of starvation.
In summary, the government aims to manage the littering problem by banning single-use plastic but is it really banned?
Should we only consider the economic cost of a plastic ban?
What about its impact on the environment, wildlife, and human health?
Futility of Bans and laws
In 2022, India brought into effect the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules (2021) that banned 19 categories of single-use plastics. These are defined as disposable goods that are made with plastic but are generally use-and-throw after a single use and include plastic cups, spoons, earbuds, decorative thermocol, wrapping or packaging film used to cover sweet boxes and cigarette packets, and plastic cutlery. However, the single-use plastic items that are banned are not uniformly enforced nationally with several outlets continuing to retail these goods. The commonly held belief that plastic is cheaply available overlooks the fact that the government has kept the price low by subsidising the polymer-producing industry. The crucial question is whether plastic costs would remain as low if subsidies were removed and stringent environmental norms enforced. Several studies have demonstrated that the accumulation of plastics in the human body can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, auto-immune issues, infertility and other serious health issues. Moreover, ample research indicates that microplastics are omnipresent; they pervade the air, soil and water bodies worldwide. While development is crucial, it’s imperative to assess all these costs equally for a truly sustainable growth.
There have been four meetings of the intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, including in the Marine Environment and the negotiations are still going on. The science is clear: plastic pollution is decimating biodiversity, poisoning our water and ecosystems with chemicals, and accumulating in our bodies as micro- and nano-plastics. After China, India will be the second country that pollutes waterways the most due to microplastics and chemical additives. And surprisingly at the INC 4 meeting India, considered a key representative from the Global South, submitted to INC-4 clearly stating, “There should be no binding targets/ cap with respect to production of plastic polymers.” Plastic is widely used across sectors such as agriculture, water, healthcare, etc., implying that interventions are needed to tackle plastic pollution without necessarily eliminating the use of plastic altogether. Almost 50-60 per cent of the plastic waste is packaging waste, which is mostly single-use plastic. Despite efforts to improve waste management and recycling, only about 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled. The rest is incinerated, dumped in landfills, or ends up in the environment.
Way Forward
To confront the intertwined crises of plastic pollution, global warming and biodiversity loss requires concerted action across all sectors involved in the plastic lifecycle. Though we can make a difference through our own habits, corporations obviously have a much bigger footprint. Cutting or limiting production is the first step. Plastic is produced because there is demand. It is possible to replace some plastics by inexpensive natural substitutes and, in cases where use of plastic is unavoidable, to use the more biodegradable ones. Governments can help to promote public sector research on plastics by establishing research institutes, creating industrial clusters, and supporting public-private partnerships. Going forward, closely studying the economic dynamics of moving towards plastic substitutes at further stages of the plastics cycle will help countries and communities determine the right mix of policies and incentives to fight the plastic menace head-on. The consumer uses plastics-based products and services and can “reduce,” “reuse,” and “recycle” to reduce the demand for new plastics. It is time to see the value in all plastic and to begin to view used plastic not as a waste product, but rather as a new raw resource with infinite possibilities. The ban alone is not enough; we need to harmonies county and national laws on waste management, climate change, and conservation.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
