Our plastic problem

India has emerged as the world’s top producer of plastic waste, generating an astounding 9.3 million tonnes annually. This amount is over twice that of the next highest polluters — Nigeria and Indonesia. A recent University of Leeds study reveals that India burns approximately 5.8 million tonnes of plastic each year and releases an additional 3.5 million tonnes into the environment as debris, contributing nearly a fifth of global plastic pollution.

This positions India far ahead of other major contributors, including Nigeria (3.5 million tonnes), Indonesia (3.4 million tonnes), and China (2.8 million tonnes). Globally, around 251 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced annually, with about 52.1 million tonnes unmanaged and released into the environment. With the UN projecting a rise in plastic production from 440 million to over 1,200 million tonnes, addressing the plastic crisis is more critical than ever.

The study, published in Nature, reveals that global plastic production reaches 57 million tonnes each year. This plastic pollution extends from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintops, infiltrating various ecosystems, including human bodies.

Over two-thirds of this pollution originates from the Global South, with significant contributions from regions where government waste management is inadequate. The question is what does that mean for us?

With India burning about 5.8 million tonnes of plastic each year, releasing another 3.5 million tonnes into the environment — polluting our land, air, and water, we’ve now become a pollution powerhouse apart from being the most populous nation.

The study paints a grim picture. While much of the plastic is collected for recycling or ends up in landfills, a significant chunk remains “unmanaged”. This “unmanaged” waste either sits around as debris or is burned in uncontrolled fires, filling the air with toxic gases.

The study found that roughly 43 per cent of this waste ends up as unburned debris, with the remaining 29.9 million tonnes burnt openly, contributing to both air pollution and climate change.

Interestingly, the study points out a major difference between the Global North and South. While richer countries like the US and Germany generate more plastic waste per capita, they’re better at managing it. In contrast, countries like India, Nigeria, and Indonesia struggle with waste management infrastructure.

Researchers examined plastic waste from over 50,000 cities and towns worldwide. The focus was on plastic that enters the open environment, excluding waste that is landfilled or properly incinerated. The study highlights that 15 per cent of the global population, including 255 million people in India, resides in areas with inadequate waste management.

The top eight plastic-polluting nations — India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Brazil, and China — are responsible for over half of the world’s plastic waste. In comparison, the United States and the United Kingdom rank 90th and 135th in terms of plastic pollution, respectively.

The study utilised Artificial Intelligence to focus on plastics that are improperly burned or discarded, contributing to microplastic pollution. These microplastics have been found in remote locations, such as the peaks of Everest and the Mariana Trench, and are now prevalent in human bodies. The health implications of these microplastics are still being studied.

Globally, roughly 69 per cent or 35.7 mt per year of the world’s plastic waste emissions come from 20 countries, of which four are low-income countries, nine are lower-middle-income countries and seven are upper-middle-income.

Furthermore, high-income countries have higher plastic waste generation rates, but none are ranked in the top 90 polluters, as most have 100 per cent collection coverage and controlled disposal, the study highlighted.

However, the researchers acknowledged they may have underestimated plastic waste emissions from some high-income countries, as they deliberately excluded plastic waste exports from their analysis.

These findings could inform the Global Plastics Treaty. In 2022, 175 nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use and disposal.

As a fast-growing nation, India is both part of the problem and potentially a huge part of the solution. However, experts warn that the country’s lack of infrastructure for proper waste collection and management is a primary cause of the plastic crisis and, despite attempts at regulation; policies remain fragmented and difficult to enforce.

“The numbers represent a significant portion of the material generated in India. The amount of municipal solid waste burned in India is equivalent to that of the next four biggest waste-burning nations – Indonesia, Nigeria, China and Russia,” Ed Cook, one of the researchers, was quoted as saying in a news report.

Earlier this year, the Plastic Overshoot Day report by Swiss non-profit EA Earth Action also said global plastic waste generation has risen by 7.11 per cent since 2021. The world is estimated to have generated 220 million tonnes of plastic waste this year, 70 million tonnes of which will end up polluting the environment.

The report was published ahead of the fourth meeting of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Ottawa, Canada, as world leaders attempted to develop a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

“Twelve countries are responsible for 60 per cent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste: China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, the United States and Turkey,” it said.

Though the report classified India as a “low-waste-producing” polluter owing to its low per capita plastic waste production (8 kg per capita per year), it did mention that the country’s expected mismanaged waste in 2024 will be 7.4 million tonnes, which is “very high”.

India’s plastic-related policies are still in their infancy, analysts opine, with enforcement agencies often lacking the authority to strictly impose regulations or penalise violators. With multiple levels of government – federal, state and local – introducing their frameworks, the implementation of pollution-related schemes is hampered by the need for large-scale coordination, which remains largely elusive.

For example, the Indian government banned 19 categories of single-use plastics in 2022. However, enforcement has been inconsistent and remains far from effective.

Penalties for using banned single-use plastics range from Rs 200 for local street vendors to Rs 10,000 for large shopkeepers but are rarely imposed.

Experts agree that the pervasive plastic crisis presents a monumental challenge for lawmakers. They argue that certain polluting sectors require greater scrutiny and that industry-specific policies could help address the issue.

Across India, both urban and rural areas are grappling with the environmental impacts of improper plastic disposal and the overuse of disposable materials. Recent industry reports suggest only a dismal portion of the plastic waste is recycled.

Nearly all chemicals used in plastic production are derived from fossil fuels. India currently has 21 petrochemical plants across 13 states and plans for significant expansion in the coming years, according to the latest budget figures.

It makes it all the more difficult as the plastic industry is largely self-glorified with disclosures of emission or production figures being voluntary and there is no independent body to verify the data filed by the companies.

To urgently address the crisis, it is important to have targeted policy initiatives in place, including the removal of subsidies for plastic manufacturers, baseline health surveys near new petrochemical plants, and epidemiological studies of populations living around heavily polluting plants.

Views expressed are personal With India now contributing nearly a fifth of the global plastic pollution, targeted policy initiatives, baseline health surveys near new petrochemical plants, and epidemiological studies of populations living around heavily polluting plants are the need of the hour