INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
material recycled from plastic bottles early this year
50% of plastic waste in the country remains unutilised, finding its way to landfills and water bodies, polluting the air, water and soil
and, ultimately, affecting human health, with micro-plastics (tiny shards of plastic up to 5 mm in length) even entering our food
chain.Banning a few hard-to-collect/recycled single-use plastic items with effect from July 1, 2022 and prohibiting the manufacture, import,
sale and use of plastic carry-bags thinner than 120 microns (one micron is a thousandth of a millimetre) from December 31 the same year may
It also has provisions for waste generators to earn tradable credits by efficiently managing plastic waste.Meanwhile, there has also been a
global effort at the UN level to end plastic pollution
All member countries, including India, are working together to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, and aim to
finalise it by end 2024.Globally, 353 million tonnes of plastic waste was generated in 2019, with only 9% of it recycled
Another 19% was incinerated, while 50% ended up in landfills and 22% evaded waste management systems.Sensing the urgency, talks among
countries have focused on measures considering the entire lifecycle of plastics, from extraction and product design to production to waste
Such an agreement may lead to a thriving circular economy based on a global financial mechanism to support developing countries.Concern for
human and environmental wellbeing led to this TOI partnership with ITC and Recycle India Foundation
