According to a new report, plastic consumption in G20 countries is expected to almost double by 2050. So sensing the danger provides economic incentives to encourage them to adopt environment-friendly and purpose-friendly alternatives by promoting alternatives like cotton, khadi bags, and bio-degradable plastics which do not cause much harm. Support can include tax exemptions, research and development funding, technology incubation, public-private partnerships, and support for projects that recycle single-use items and turn waste into a resource that can be used again. can be done. , As consumers, we must ensure that all plastic waste coming out of our homes is segregated and does not get contaminated with food waste.

India recently released a draft resolution to reduce plastic pollution a month ahead of the fifth UN Environment Assembly to be held in Nairobi. Unlike drafts submitted by some other countries, India’s framework proposed a voluntary approach rather than being legally binding. In 2019, the central government came up with a multi-ministerial plan to discourage the use of single-use plastics across the country, to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022. Currently, the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of carry bags and plastic sheets of less than the 50-micron thickness in the country.

Environment Ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. These rules ban specific single-use plastic items that have “low utility and high litter potential” by 2022. The permitted thickness of plastic bags, currently 50 microns, will be increased to 75 microns from September 30, 2021, and 120 microns from December 31, 2022. At the policy level, the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), already mentioned under the 2016 Rules, is to be promoted. The Central Pollution Control Board, along with state pollution bodies, will monitor the ban, identify violations and impose penalties as already prescribed under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The Central Pollution Control Board has reported that 22 states have announced bans on single-use plastics in the past, but this has had little impact on the menace of microplastics choking wetlands and waterways and drifting into the oceans. So far, 22 states and union territories have joined the fight to beat plastic pollution and have announced a ban on single-use plastics such as carry bags, cups, plates, cutlery, straws, and thermocol products. India has also won global praise for its “Beat Plastic Pollution” resolution announced on World Environment Day last year, under which it has pledged to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.

Directives have been issued at the national, state, and local levels – for example, to all petrochemical industries – not to supply raw materials to industries engaged in the banned items. Pollution Control Committees will modify or cancel the consent issued under the Air/Water Act to industries engaged in single-use plastic items. Local authorities have been directed to issue new commercial licenses with the condition that SUP items are not sold on their premises, and to cancel existing commercial licenses if they are found to be selling these items. Has issued a one-time certification to 200 manufacturers of compostable plastics and passed BIS standards for biodegradable plastics.

Those violating the ban can be punished under the Environment Protection Act 1986 – which allows imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both. Violators may also be asked to pay environmental damage compensation. The virtue of a legally binding global treaty on plastics that applies a uniform set of laws to all countries has led to a worldwide cumulative effort to combat plastic pollution. Strengthens the global campaign to stop all types of plastic pollution on land, sea, etc. Helps create a financial mechanism to promote efforts to fight plastic pollution.

Not all countries may be able to adhere to the treaty as plastic alternatives may be unaffordable or inaccessible or unavailable. Goes against the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. As consumers, we must ensure that all plastic waste coming out of our homes is segregated and does not get contaminated with food waste. Managing plastic waste requires effective knowledge, not only among those who produce plastic but also among those who handle it. The brand owner and manufacturer should try to understand the fate of a plastic packaging material once its packaging purpose has been served. Citizens have to bring behavioral change and not litter and help in waste segregation and waste management.

India Plastics Challenge – Hackathon 2021 for students of recognized Higher Educational Institutions and startups under the Start-up India initiative, to encourage innovation in the development of alternatives to identified single-use plastic items and digital solutions for plastic waste management has been organized. Provide economic incentives to encourage the adoption of eco-friendly and purpose-friendly alternatives by promoting alternatives such as cotton, khadi bags, and bio-degradable plastics that do not cause much harm.

Support can include tax exemptions, research and development funding, technology incubation, public-private partnerships, and support for projects that recycle single-use items and turn waste into a resource that can be used again. can be done. Reducing or eliminating taxes on imports of materials used to make substitutes. Provide incentives to the industry to support its transition by imposing tax exemptions or other conditions. Governments, including importers and distributors of plastic packaging, will face resistance from the plastics industry. Give them time to adapt.

Use revenue collected from taxes or levies on single-use plastics to maximize the public good. Support environmental projects or promote local recycling with the money. Create jobs in the plastic recycling sector with seed funding. Effectively implement the chosen measure by ensuring a clear allocation of roles and responsibilities. Monitor and adjust the chosen measure if necessary and update the public on progress.

The pressure on producers to streamline the collection, recycling, and processing of all forms of plastic is set to increase. Individuals and organizations should now actively remove plastic waste from their surroundings and municipal bodies should make arrangements to collect these items. Startups and industries should think of new ways of recycling plastic.