India’s plight concerning the plastic menace is particularly alarming because of the lack of proper waste management infrastructure in tandem with rapid economic growth.
In 2021, India recorded a staggering plastic consumption of approximately 21 million tonnes, with a per capita consumption of 15 kilograms.
A report by UNEP, the generation of plastic waste in India is around 9.4 million tonnes annually, which translates to 26,000 tonnes per day. For popular imagination, it can translate into the size of 11,500 Asian elephants per day. While the official waste generation rate is estimated at 0.12 kg per capita per day, a study published in Nature suggests this may be an underestimate, and waste collection might be overestimated. This rapid growth is attributed to several factors, including increased industrialisation, urbanisation, and consumer demand for packaged goods, highlighting the country’s evolving consumption patterns.
Unmanageable waste generation
Of the total plastic waste generated, only 30% is recycled in India, while the remainder either pollutes landfills or the natural environment. The problem is exacerbated by single-use plastics, which comprise a large portion of the waste and is ineffectively managed and recycled.
There are some major reasons underlying the plastic waste problem in India. The informal sector seems to contribute to the collection and recycling of waste, but more often than not this sector is disorganised and poorly equipped, resulting in greater exploitation of the environment. The plethora of single-use plastics, from straws to packing, accentuates the issue of legislatively implementing bans. Attempts to mitigate the usage of polybags and other plastics have been made, but weak enforcement coupled with cheap alternatives makes shifting away from these materials more challenging.
Environmental and health implications
How poorly managed plastic waste is dealt with, poses unique environmental and health threats. Plastic pollution jams waterways, disrupts ecosystems, and adds to marine litter while destroying biodiversity and harming human life. Rural areas and urban slums burn plastic waste, which releases toxic fumes that worsen air quality. This poses tremendous health challenges like respiratory illnesses and cancer.
Mismanaged plastic waste poses unique economic challenges. As per a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), uncollected plastic waste in India will cost the country over $133 billion in material value by 2030. This economist’s downfall is made worse with the lost prospects to reclaim the material by recycling or reusing it.
The challenge of single use plastic
Along with many other reasons, single use plastics remains a challenge for India. Enforcement continues to remain week because of single use alternatives and the economy’s dependence on plastic industries. The consumption and business practices surrounding single use plastic stems from everyday consumer habits and can only be replaced with accessible and affordable alternatives. Furthermore, the recycling informal sector which deals with a large portion of plastic waste lacks the necessary infrastructure to handle a broad range of alternatives. Achieving a balance between environment sustainability and economic growth is complex and without strategies built to encourage the use of replaceable materials and environmentally friendly practices, a sustainable approach cannot be adopted.
Strategic roadmap for a greener future
Shifting focus to solving India’s plastic challenges calls for fostering policies to tap into a circular economy. One of the best ones is creating and enacting a circular economy roadmap. This roadmap needs to be designed to decrease the plastic sent to landfills, and recycle, and recover the maximum possible value out of plastic waste while, at the same time, controlling the environmental and economic costs.
New creative recycling techniques, like fair trade plastic recycling, present opportunities for scaling up collection and processing of plastic waste. Paying informal waste collectors motivates them to collect more waste and helps communities socially and economically. Also, international cooperation and commitments to treaties like the proposed United Nations Global Plastics Treaty could strengthen the efforts made at the national level. Implementing policy guides that are in line with global practices would help improve plastic waste management systems in India.
However, a very simple way to tackle the plastic waste is to announce a complete ban on single use plastic by a particular date. The Prime Minister should announce it on 15th August 2025 from the Lal Quila that by next day, same year, there will be complete ban. This will help the associated people and industry to seek alternative.
The troubling increase of plastic pollution in India poses an alarming danger to the country’s ecological and public health framework. If every individual modifies their consumption choices to be more sustainable and the government, along with industries, commit to developing adequate waste management systems, the country would be able to tackle this crisis. Redesigning the life cycle of plastic through innovative approaches and sustainable practices will enable India to transform into a leader in tackling environmental issues, converting them into circular economic growth opportunities to benefit society and the planet.
