Plasticked off

Vibha Sharma in New Delhi

ADDRESSING COP 14 to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was time for the world to say “goodbye” to single-use plastic. “My government has announced that India will put an end to single-use plastic (SUP) in the coming years. I believe the time has come for even the world to say goodbye to single-use plastic,” he said. Then, in Mathura, where he was seen segregating plastic from garbage piles along with women at the Swachhata hi seva programme, the PM exhorted Indians to get their homes and offices rid of single-use plastic before October 2 — the day India will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Against this backdrop, speculations are rife about the possibilities, including a ban on the material extremely detrimental to the environment, animals and humans. However, as per Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, the PM did not say “ban” but “goodbye”. “From October 2, we will begin an attempt to collect all plastic waste. Nearly 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste remains uncollected,” he said.

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Also read: : Amid confusion, industry gropes for clarity

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Confusion — ban, no ban

Meanwhile, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, following a meeting with the stakeholders (bottle manufacturers, officials, etc.) to find a suitable alternative to plastic bottles for drinking water, said, “We did not get any concrete alternative to packaged drinking water during this meeting. Therefore, I have asked all manufacturers to send their suggestions by this week.” “The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to look into the issue of banning single-use plastic, whether in one go or in a phased manner,” he said. The recommendations by his ministry would be sent to the panel and the PMO, which will take the final call. “Recycling is an alternative but not a permanent solution. Eventually, plastic should be replaced and banned. The ban would not affect employment as the alternative would create jobs,” he said. But with the plastic industry hitting the panic button, he later said, “A ban will not be enforced till alternatives are found.”

It is now being said that Modi could launch the campaign by announcing a “ban” on some items on October 2. Officials insist that the departments concerned are “working in tandem on the issue” and while there will be “no ban, a concerted attempt will be made by the government to enhance the efforts to limit the use and consumption of single-use plastic.”

Interestingly, so far there is no official definition of the term ‘single-use plastic’. It loosely covers the unsightly bags, cups, water bottles and straws strewn around, adding to India’s overall waste burden. 

Viable alternatives

India has a long-standing commitment to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022. However, several issues need to be addressed before the objective is achieved. One, the alternative has to be affordable. The cost of a water bottle worth Rs 20 cannot be pushed up to Rs 50. Two, consumer’s trust is important. A sealed plastic bottle with the ISI mark inspires confidence, so the alternative has to pass the muster. Three, technical glitches will need to be addressed. As per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), a water bottle should be at least 85 per cent transparent. So if the bottles of different material are to be used, standards will have to be changed.

According to Behram Mehta of the All India Association of National Mineral Water Industry, the packaged water bottle industry uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is recyclable, used globally and environment-friendly. “We already have a viable existing option. This has again been conveyed to the Consumer Affairs Ministry,” he says. “Panic has been created in the industry even when the PET bottle is not a single-use plastic. They are fully recyclable. Our vast network of ragpickers ensures that 92 per cent of these bottles are recycled. Paper bottles/tetra packs also use some amount of plastic, even pure paper bottle has some plastic mixed in it. Multi-layered tetra pack is also a failure; it cannot be recycled either as paper or plastic. We already have an alternative in PET.”

Bouquets, brickbats

Interestingly, while most political parties have remained silent, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said he had resisted a blanket ban on single-use plastic when he was environment minister. “The plastic industry employs lakhs, and the real problem is how we dispose of and recycle waste. The ban will only grab headlines, home and abroad, and mask the Modi regime’s true environmental record,” he said. Whether and what kind of a “ban” is imposed, we will know on October 2. The BJP, meanwhile, is busy celebrating “Seva Divas” around PM Modi’s birthday on September 17 to spread the message of his latest initiative far and wide.

The initiative, just like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, has many supporters. After all, who can say yes to hazardous plastic waste littered across the landscape? It is a worldwide problem, only more acute for India because of the lack of proper waste disposal. Sourabh Manuja of The Energy and Resources Institute explains the need for the ban on single-use plastic. “In India, more than 1.61 lakh metric tonne (MT) of solid waste is generated every day. According to an April study of the waste reaching the Bandhwari landfill in Gurugram, approximately 10.96 per cent of waste was only plastic, comprising PET, HDPE, expanded polystyrene, rigid plastic, etc. Plastic films comprising non-recyclable plastic such as multilayer plastics, plastic sheets, etc. accounted for 9.6 per cent,” said Manuja.

“This is the reason why single-use plastic needs to be banned. PET is clearly identifiable and costs around Rs 30 or 32 per kg, which is why it gets picked up easily and reaches recyclers. Plastic straws, however, will not be picked as they are much lighter in weight and involve a lot of labour.”

Desperate times, desperate measures

“Plastics are non-biodegradable. I agree paper and glass also come with certain amount of carbon footprint, but trees can be grown while plastic will just keep adding up. If we once get down to it, viable alternatives will come,” says a government official, pointing to a recent breakthrough in Israel where a scientist has developed a plastic that biodegrades in water. “It is so safe that anyone can drink it and it is much better for marine life. There are reports of scientists stumbling upon bacteria that eat up plastics, waxworm caterpillars that break down plastic in a matter of hours... I am hopeful we will soon find a way.”

Detractors, meanwhile, talk of environmental footprint of the alternatives, the cost consumers would have to incur to buy reusable paper/cotton bags and their durability. And not to forget the economic cost at a time when there is a slowdown. Besides, questions like whether roadside vendors will be able to pay more for the possible alternatives and has the government done any economic and environmental cost-benefit analysis of any such step are also being asked.

Despite a ban on plastic bags less than 50 microns (thickness) in many states, they can be easily purchased, used and dumped without fear, punishment or fine. Single-use plastic items are cheap and an integral part of Indian consumerism. In the absence of a cost-friendly alternative, ignoring the law would be an easier option. Keeping in mind factors like economy, costing, etc., making India plastic-free requires more than a ban. Movements related to environment/cleanliness are all about an individual, his or her conscience, consciousness and social responsibility. There was life before plastic, so there could be after it as well.

What is single-use plastic

In India, there’s is no official definition of the term ‘single-use plastic’. It includes items that are used only once before they are discarded or recycled. It loosely covers plastic bags, cups, water bottles and straws

Why it must go

• It doesn’t go away. Even after hundreds of years, it disintegrates into microscopic pieces and enters our food chain  
• Has a huge carbon footprint 
• A very small amount is recycled 
• Pollute our water bodies and kill marine life 

Its life cycle

• Plastic bag: 20 years
• Plastic straw: 200 years
• Plastic water bottle: 450 years 
• Plastic tooth brush: 500 years

Plastic generated per day (India)

• 26 metric tonne, equivalent to 9000 elephants
• 11 metric tonne remains uncollected
• 1/6th of total plastic waste come from 60 cities, while Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore, Chennai and Kolkata produce half of it 
• 60 per cent of the total plastic produced is recycled and the remaining 40 per cent is adversely impacts environment
• 11 kg Average per capita consumption of plastic in India
• 28 kg Global average
• 109 kg US

Plastic use share

Packaging 43% 

Infrastructure 21%

Auto Sector 16%

Agriculture 2%

Other Sources 18%

Startling numbers

10,00,000 Number of plastic bottles bought per minute world over 

1,00,000 Number of marine animals killed by plastic each year

15 Million ton of plastic waste is dumped in oceans every year. Most of it ends up in Indian Ocean 

4 Trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually. Of this, only one per cent is returned for recycling 

My government has announced that India will put an end to single-use plastic in the coming years. I believe the time has come for even the world to say goodbye to single-use plastic. We need to make efforts to rid our homes, offices, and workplaces of single-use plastic by 2nd October, 2019. Narendra Modi Prime Minister

As environment minister, I resisted blanket ban on use of single-use plastic. Plastic industry employs lakhs and the real problem is how we dispose and recycle waste. The ban will only grab headlines, home and abroad, and mask the Modi regime’s true environmental record. Jairam Ramesh former environment minister