PLASTIC POLLUTION

                              PLASTIC POLLUTION

 





Plastic products have become an integral part in our daily life as a basic need. It produced on a massive scale worldwide and its production crosses the 150 million tonnes per year globally. In India approximately 8 Million tonnes plastic products are consumed every year (2008). Its broad range of application in films, wrapping materials, shopping and garbage bags, fluid containers, clothing, toys, household and industrial products, and building materials. It is a fact that plastics will never degrade and remains on landscape for several years. Mostly, plastics are recyclable but recycled products are more hazardous to the environment than the virgin products. The recycling of a virgin plastic material can be done 2-3 time only, because after every recycling, the plastic material is deteriorated due to thermal pressure. Considering, 70% of plastic consumption is converted as waste, approximately 5.6 million tons per annum (TPA) plastic waste is generated in country, which equals to 15342 tons per day (TPD).

Plastic Waste Management:

(i.) Recycling of plastic wastes will be carried out as per rules and regulations stipulated by the
Central Government.
(ii.) The municipal authority shall be responsible for operationalization and coordination of the
waste management system and for performing the associated functions:
(a.) To ensure safe collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of
plastic waste.
(b.) To ensure that no damage is caused to the environment during this process.
(c.) To ensure setting up of collection centres for plastic waste involving manufacturers.
(d.) To ensure its channelization to recyclers(e.) To create awareness amongst all stakeholders about their responsibilities
(f.) To engage agencies or groups working in waste management including waste pickers.
(g.) To ensure that open burning of plastic waste is not permitted.


(iii.) For setting up plastic waste collection centres, the municipal authority may ask
manufactures, either collectively or individually in line with the principle of Extended Producer’s
Responsibility (EPR) to provide the required finance to establish such collection centre.
(iv.) The Municipal Authority shall encourage the use of plastic waste by adopting suitable
technology such as in road construction, co‐incineration, etc. The municipal authority or the
operator intending to use such technology shall ensure the compliance with the prescribed
standards including pollution norms prescribed by the competent authority in this regard.Protocols