BENGALURU: Plastic waste management continues to be a challenge for the authorities: Plastic materials are often passed off as biodegradable items, while at the household level. the way plastic items are handled is a concern.
The Union government banned single-use plastic and issued directions to encourage other recyclable items on July 1, 2022. It was part of Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. The government issued a notification for the ban on August 12, 2021. However, there has been little impact on ground.
Experts say that despite awareness, people continue to use plastic bottles and carry bags as the government has been unable to regulate their manufacture and use.
A senior Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official from Delhi admitted that the drive to control plastic menace has reduced over time. An official from Karnataka regional CPCB office said that earlier. inspections were done on a monthly basis and urban local bodies officials were also guided. This has now come down.
Divya Tiwari, adviser, Saahas, NGO working on waste management said, despite clear definitions on plastic waste management rules, ground operations continue to be an issue. Biodegradable plastic is seen as an alternative to plastic, but most are fake. “We are demanding the government have a colour code of them with proper identification for people to know. Visual distinction of biodegradable plastic is a challenge,” she said, adding that ideally biodegradbale plastic should self degrade in 90 days, but fake items take 180-200 days.
Experts also pointed out that the government has no method of collection and disposal of biodegradable plastic, which makes matters worse. Industries handling plastic waste are not accepting biodegradable plastic items due to their poor quality. This apart, small plastic items are adding to the menace.
Tejaswini Ananthkumar, Chairperson and co-founder of Adamya Chetana Foundation, said more awareness on plastic waste management is needed. People can do their little bit by simply not cutting the edge of their milk/curd plastic packets. “This is being told since 2019. Collecting and recycling small plastic is difficult. It has become a large contributor to plastic pollution and has now entered the food chain. Another concern is the use of paper glasses for they have plastic linings and in 15 minutes, a cup filled with tea/coffee generates 25,000micro plastic.”
KSPCB Chairman Narayan Swamy said: “While proper disposal of plastic is the task of government agencies, proper handling should be by people. Awareness is needed that people should not cut the edges of plastic packets. Such small steps by individuals make a large difference. Discussions with all stakeholders will soon be held.”
Retd CPCB Karnataka Regional Director S Suresh said against people’s belief, products labelled as biodegradable or compostable are plastic items and companies are misleading consumers. These items break down in special industrial conditions, which are not available in most cities and towns in India. This makes it hard to compost them properly and they end up polluting the soil and water like regular plastic. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, updated in 2022 and 2024, require all biodegradable plastics to be tested and certified by CPCB. But these rules are not strictly followed and state boards also find it difficult to check all products.
Many industries are also not ready to use biodegradable plastics because
Major ground problems with biodegradable plastic management
Companies are not investing because they are costly
They are not strong or durable
There are not enough composting centres
People are confused with genuine and fake products
Celebrated on June 5
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5, to create awareness and encourage people to take steps to improve the environment. It was first started in 1973, following the United Nations Environment Programme in 1973. This year the theme is #BeatPlasticPollution.