Editorial: People’s involvement holds key

The success of any environmental campaign depends on the extent of involvement of all stakeholders and the consistency of the awareness drive. The goal to make the country plastic-free is quite ambitious and calls for sustained efforts at all levels with active public participation. Effective implementation holds the key to the success of the new […]

The success of any environmental campaign depends on the extent of involvement of all stakeholders and the consistency of the awareness drive. The goal to make the country plastic-free is quite ambitious and calls for sustained efforts at all levels with active public participation. Effective implementation holds the key to the success of the new rules, issued by the Centre recently, on banning the manufacture, sale and use of single-use plastic from July 1. The current restrictions apply to relatively low utility items but the real challenge will come when the prohibition is extended to polythene bags under 120 microns in December. Compared to 50 microns at present, the thickness of the carry bags must be at least 75 microns from September 30, 2021, and 120 microns from December 31. These decisions follow recommendations made by an expert group constituted by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals nearly three years ago. Coinciding with World Environment Day in 2018, India had declared that it would eliminate all single-use plastic by 2022. In the past five years, more than 20 States have put in place some form of regulation on plastic use. But, their implementation has been patchy and inconsistent. The under-staffed and poorly-empowered State pollution control boards or cash-strapped municipalities tasked with enforcing the bans have generally not been up to the task. Apart from setting up control rooms to monitor the ban, there is a need to raise awareness among people and take all stakeholders into confidence to ensure desired results.

In this regard, the initiatives taken by the Telangana government deserve special praise as they focus on people’s involvement in promoting awareness about environmental protection. India generates over 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day — more than 40% of it stays uncollected, often choking sewage networks. The rest accumulates in landfills or in the natural environment; much of the plastic waste eventually reaches the oceans. It is feared that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish. There is an urgent need to restrict the use of non-degradable synthetic material. The chemicals released by waste plastic bags enter the soil and make it infertile. Microplastic is already found in the food chain. This must sound alarm bells in the government corridors. Despite its severe environmental consequences, single-use or disposable plastic has become a global addiction. A big chunk of plastic waste cannot be recycled because of lack of segregation. Poor regulation has led to prohibited plastic moving freely across the State borders. A recent study revealed that out of the top 100 global producers of polymers that culminate in plastic waste, six are based in India. The absence of a cohesive policy on segregation, collection and recycling plastics is a major stumbling block in the path to eliminating single-use plastic.

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