There is no doubt that plastic does more harm than good. The perils of plastic pollution are manifold.
According to the written reply in the ongoing Budget session of parliament by Environment, Forest and Climate Change, unmanaged and littered plastic waste including plastic packaging waste has adverse impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Referring to Annual Report of CPCB for the year 2019-20, the Ministry said the plastic waste generation in the country has 34.69 lakh tonnes per annum (TPA) during the year 2019-20 of which approximately 15.8 Lakh TPA of plastic waste was recycled and 1.67 Lakh TPA was co-processed in cement kilns.
Plastic pollutes the soil and contaminates water with harmful chemicals. It also contributes to about 4.5 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions, according to credible estimates.
There are several rules and regulations dealing with the subject. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, provides the statutory framework for plastic waste management in an environmentally sound manner throughout the country, the government says. Considering the adverse effect of littered single use plastic items on terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems, the Ministry of environment, forest and climate change notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, on 12 August last year, prohibiting identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, from 1st July 2022. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also notified the guidelines on the Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging vide Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022, on 16th February, 2022.
Further, the Ministry says that the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology supports research and development projects for alternatives to banned single-use plastic items, as per scheme guidelines.
Further, the government says, all States/UTs have constituted the Special Task Force under the chairpersonship of the Chief Secretary / Administrator for elimination of identified single use plastic items and effective plastic waste management. A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry in this regard. Under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, the government says, additional Central Assistance is provided to States and Union Territories for solid waste management including plastic waste management in urban and rural areas.
Under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the states and UTs are required to set up institutional mechanisms for enforcement of provisions of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 through State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees. While laws and rules are there, eliminating the offensive material should be a continuous process and all measures need to be taken in this regard.
