Plastic a cancer in Nature: Trends, Problems and Policies in India

 

Purushothama KV                                        

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Plastic is one of the new and worst chemical materials which cause serious environment pollution and is certainly a cancer in nature. Plastic is regarded to be a biological hazard since it is almost non- degradable. Tonnes of Plastic waste are dumped everyday into the earth all over the world. The plastic become so popular in our society because of comparatively low cost, low weight and high durability. But sorry to say, these useful qualities make plastic a real menace to the environment. As it is so cheap that people discards it soon especially carry bags and disposable bottles. As these materials are long-lasting and difficult to decompose, it persists in the earth for many centuries resulting in enormous environment pollution. As a result of urbanization, most of the pollution is concentrated in cities. Plastic pollution is destroying the world’s entire ecosystems.  The quality of environment in India is rapidly deteriorating with rising levels of plastic wastes. The heterogeneity of plastic waste is a growing problem of nuisance in the Indian cities and towns. The plastic waste generation is based on the socioeconomic conditions, degree of industrialization and climatic conditions in the cities as well as in the villages also. This is the outcome of inadequate infrastructure and improper management practices in India (Hosetti, 2006). Plastic is considered, as a marvel of polymer chemistry and became an integral part of our daily life as basic need. Waste for disposal is increasing relatively faster than the plastics consumption because of the higher share of long-life products in waste and the lower recycling rates of these products. Most of the plastic waste found is in packaging sector (52%)  that finds extensive use in the industry and the domestic sectors. These plastics are non-biodegradable owing to which they do not decay easily and can remain for decades and centuries. This makes relatively a potential issue to be discussed over the bio-degradable components (CPCB, 1996,1998).

 

Plastic Waste Trends in India

Its production crosses the 150 million tonns per year globally. In India approximately 10 Million tonnes plastic products are consumed every year (Central Pollution Control Board 2011). It is a fact that plastics will never degrade and remains on landscape for several years. Mostly, plastics are recyclable but recycled products are more hazardous to the environment than virgin products.  In India for safer disposal of plastic wastes various technologies have been experimented.

 

 

 

The consumption of plastics will increase about six fold between 2000 and 2030. In 2030, plastics waste for disposal (excluding recycled plastics) will increase 10 times compared to the situation in the year 2000-2001; this model result assumes that the plastics recycling rates will remain at the current level for the next three decades. Nevertheless, it is more likely that the recycling rates will decrease with the increasing level of wealth; in this case, plastics waste for disposal will grow by more than a factor of 10 between 2000 and 2030.

 

 

 

 

The following table gives the status of plastic waste management in India:

Table No: 1

Sl.No.	Items	Description
1	Estimated plastic production in 2008	8 million tons
2	Plastic waste generation (70% as waste)	5.6million tons /year	15342.46 tons/day
3	Plastic waste generation per capita	4.91 kg/year	13.45 gm/day
4	Plastic waste collection( estimated:60% by weight)	2.24 million tons/year	6134 tons/day
5	CPCB study on plastic waste generation in 60 major cities(2010-11)	0.1277847 million tons/year	3501 tons/day
6	Number of plastic manufacturer and recycling unit in industrial area	5511(30 States and Union Territories)
7	Number of Registration granted	2108
8	Number of States and Union Territories issued separate Act /Notification	15 (Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Punjab, Meghalaya, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Delhi and Rajasthan).
9	Name of States/ UTs Ban Plastic Carry Bags (Complete Ban Through Notification/Act)	11 ( Chandigarh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Delhi, Haryana, Himachala Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, J&K , Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep)
10	Name of States/ UTs Ban Plastic Carry Bags (Partial Ban Through Executive Order)	10 (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Mizoram and Uttar Pradesh)
11	Names of States and UTs increased the thickness of Plastic Carry Bags i.e.,  More than 40 Microns.	03 ( Maharashtra: 50 Microns, Tamil Nadu: 60 Microns and  Pondicherry 51 Microns)
12	Plastic waste Utilization: 1)      Plastic waste can be utilized in road construction such as in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Pondicherry and Himachal Pradesh. 2)      Plastic waste can be co-processed in cement kilns such as in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh .

Source: CPCB Report, Updated on 30.5.2012)

 

 

Policy Measures in India

Various policy measures are being taken to check the nuisance caused by plastic waste in India. These Regulations and legislation are:

 

a)    Until recently there has been no definite environmental policy and legislation framed in respect of plastic waste in India. The plastics waste gets generated, collected, traded and reprocessed by known methods into useful products, thereby supplementing supply of raw materials, and at economic price. However, a HP Non-biogradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995, has been introduced by the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The Act appropriately envisages prohibition of throwing or depositing plastic articles in public places and to facilitate the collection through garbage in identifiable and marked garbage receptacles for non-biogradables, placed at convenient places. Haryana State has announced a Bill (1997) on Non-biogradable Garbage on similar lines as that of Himachal Pradesh.  

b)   

The National Plastics Waste Management Task Force of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, has recommended a strategy and action programme of Plastics Waste Management in India. Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India has issued criteria for labeling ‘plastic products’ as ‘Environmental Friendly’ under its ‘Eco mark’ Scheme, in association with the Bureau of Indian Standards. One of the requirements for plastic products, is that material used for packaging shall be recyclable or bio-degradable.

 

c)    The Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi (BIS) has issued guidelines on recycling of plastics waste including code of practices for collection, sorting through conventional practices continue to be adopted and accepted, needs has been voiced to upgrade these, both by authorities and NGO’s.

 

d)    The Prevention of Food Adulteration Department of the Government of India, has issued Directives to various catering establishments to use only food-grade plastics, while selling or serving food items. Rules have specified use of ‘food-grade’ plastic, which meets certain essential requirements and is considered safe, when in contact with food. The Scheme announced in Feb, 1995, is being implemented in co-operation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) which has formulated a series of standards on this subject.

 

e)    The Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi had assigned a study on ‘Status of Waste Plastics Recycling in NCR, Delhi’ to Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, Delhi.

 

f)     During Sept.1996, (and earlier during Sept.1994) a national conference on ‘Plastic and Environment’ was organized at New Delhi by FICCI and Plast India Foundation. It was during the conference that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India announced the setting up of National Plastics Waste Management Task Force, with representations of Department of Chemicals and Petro Chemicals, Ministry of Urban Affairs, Municipal Corporation of New Delhi, Plast India Foundation, All India Plastic Manufacturers Association and other All India Organizations. The task force submitted its report in August 1997 and drawn strategy and action programme for plastics Waste Management in India.

 

g)    A National Association of PET Industry has recently been formed by the PET manufacturers and users in India which is expected to look after the organized collection and recycling of PET bottles/ containers waste.

 

h)    Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) (Amendment) Rules, 2011: Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF) has notified Plastic Waste ( Management and Handling) (Amendment) Rules, 2011 on 4^th Feb, 2011 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. In order to bring greater clarity and to comply with the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court, MoEF has published the Plastic Waste Rules, 2011 on 2^nd July 2011(www.moef.nic.in.).

 

Problems of Plastic Wastes

1.    Diseases: Diseases today in the rural areas of the country are greatly a result of breeding of the various kinds of disease carrying organisms in large numbers. This has been made very possible due to the large numbers of non-biodegradable polythene wastes that are widely spread around the city streets. These waste materials act as breeding place for the various disease carriers like the deadly female anopheles mosquito that spreads malaria, they also rear germs like the cholera germ which has lead to the death of millions of people.

 

2. Increased soil infertility:

When the polythene bags enter into the soil, they block further passage of mineral salts and oxygen to the soil and is unable to yield crops properly this can cause several problems to the peasant farmer and consumers.

 

3.    Blockage of water systems:

Water is another sector that is highly important to man but has been disturbed by these polythene waste materials and as an after effect, man is affected in various ways that cannot be fully listed. Water systems like springs, ponds, rivers etc. are blocked during continued damping of these polythene materials along the shore, the water flow is affected and may be stopped causing floods, disease habitation and unpleasant scenery.

 

4.    Unpleasant scenery:

The scenery of the various places where wastes are disposed can only best be defined as improper for human settlement and as  such, when wastes are poorly disposed, we end up having the beautiful natural environment losing its beauty this may scare away many tourists and visitors in an area.

 

5.    Green House Gases:

Un-recycled plastic, when burned, contributes to green-house gases (Ramachandra, 2006).

 

Environmental Issues on disposal of Plastic Waste:

Indiscriminate littering of unskilled recycling/ reprocessing and non-biodegradability of plastic waste raises the following environmental issues:

·      During polymerization process fugitive emissions are released.

·      During product manufacturing various types of gases are released.

·      Burning of plastics generates toxic emissions such as Carbon Monoxide, Chlorine, Hydrochloric Acid, Dioxin, Furans, Amines, Nitrides, Styrene, Benzene, 1,3 –butadiene, CCI 4 and Acetaldehyde. Which cause global warming and green house effect.

·      Lead and Cadmium pigments, commonly used in LDPE, HDPE and PP as additives are toxic and are known to leach out.

·      Non-recyclable plastic wastes such as multilayer, metalized pouches and other thermoset plastic poses disposal problems.

·      Sub-standard plastic bags, films etc. pose problem in collection and recycling.

·      Garbage mixed with plastics interferes in waste processing facilities and also cause problems in landfill operations.

 

Solutions to Poor Plastic Waste Disposal (Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi, 2012)

v Setting-up of systematic mechanism for plastic waste collection, segregation and disposal.

v Recycl ing of plastic waste in an environmental friendly manner.

v Closure of Industries in non-conforming areas.

v Utilization of plastic waste in road construction.

v Co-processing of plastic waste in cement kiln.

v Widespread mass awareness programme on the use of plastic packaging and its impact on environment, on littering.

v Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in management of plastic waste.

v Use of bags made from alternate materials that is bio-degradable and compostable films, jute cloth, paper etc.

 

Other solutions

Emphasis should be put on the use of paper bags. This is because the paper bags are also light and they can easily decompose. They should therefore act as the substitute for the polythene bags.

 

 

Recycling and reusing of the plastic bags should be emphasized. The local people should be told to use the polythene bags as many times as possible before the polythene bags can be taken for recycling. The industries should also be encouraged to recycle the polythene bags.

 

Burning of the polythene bags using the incinerators at very high temperatures. This should mainly be done for the case of the polythene bags which were deposited so many years ago and have not decomposed up to now.

Laws and legislations should be put in place regarding the improper polythene waste disposal. The people who are seen throwing away the polythene bags careless while moving should be penalized.

 

Local Action Projects should be emphasized by the students whereby the students move to the neighbouring communities to have them cleaned up and also carry out the seminars to sensitize the masses about the dangers of improper waste disposal.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

The environment pollution due to plastic wastes arises predominantly through the throw away culture that plastics propagate and also the absence of an efficient waste management system. Problems lie with the municipalities and local self governments in collection, storage, transport and disposal. The informal sector neglected the picking of carry bags and PET as they find them as uneconomical. Hence everywhere plastics refuse are spread creating an unhealthy picture of the environment. Public awareness is the ultimate solution to control plastic pollution.

 

REFERENCES:

1.    Plastic waste (Management and Handling) (Amendment) Rules, 2011, Ministry of, No.3, Page No.9-23.

2.       Hosetti B B , 2006; Prospects and Perspectives of Solid Waste Management, New Age International publishers, New Delhi.

3.       Material on Plastic Environment and Forest, Govt. of India .

4.       Jayasheela and Hans. V B, “ E-Waste Management in India: Problems and Solutions”, Nagarlok, Vol. XL Waste Management, Central Pollution Control board, Delhi, June, 2012.

5.       Ramachandra T V, 2006; Management of Municipal Solid Waste, Capital Publishing Company, New Delhi.

6.       Sivaramakrishnan K C , “Urban Development and Metro Governance”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLVI, No.31,July 30 –Aug 5,2011.

7.       Nallathiga Ramakrishna , “Urban Infrastructure Development in India” , The IUP Journal of Infrastructure, Vol. VIII, No. 1&2; March and June 2010.