Context:

• According to analysis of Center for Science and Environment (CSE), ahead of week-long talks involving 192 countries in Toronto, Canada on global progress in eliminating plastic pollution, India is in favour of “regulating” and not outright eliminating single-use plastic.

Important Point 

What is single-use plastic?

• It refers to plastic items that are used once and discarded.

Highest Shares of Plastic Manufactured and Used:

• Single-use plastic has among the highest shares of plastic manufactured and used — from packaging of items, to bottles (shampoo, detergents, cosmetics), polythene bags, face masks, coffee cups, cling film, trash bags, food packaging etc.

Accounts for a Third of all Plastic Produced Globally:

• According to a 2021 report of the Mindoro Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organization, single-use plastics account for a third of all plastic produced globally, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels.

The Majority of Plastic Discarded:

• Single-use plastic also accounts for the majority of plastic discarded – 130 million metric tons globally in 2019 — all of which is burned, buried in landfills or discarded directly into the environment.

Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

• On the current trajectory of production, it has been projected that single-use plastic could account for 5-10% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Status of SUP in India

• According to the report Plastic Waste Makers Index 2019, India was the 13th largest investor in SUP polymer production globally.
• Plastic Waste Makers Index notes that India’s Reliance Industries producing 3 million tons of SUP waste stood 8th in the list of companies producing polymers.
• India ranked 3rd globally, contributing 5.5 million tons of SUP waste, and ranked 94th with per capita single-use plastic waste of 4 kg per year.
• UN Environment Program’s country wise plastic data revealed that India mismanages 85% of its plastic waste which is predominantly SUP

What are the steps taken by government to curb SUP

• Ban on SUP- Since July 1, 2022, India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items with low utility and high littering potential.
• Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 - It prohibits identified single use plastic items by 2022, the thickness of plastic carry bags increased from 50 to 75 microns from 2021 and to 120 microns.
• Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022- The guidelines provide a framework to strengthen the circular economy and develop new alternatives of plastic packaging waste.
• Comprehensive Action Plan- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued a plan to all the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Pollution Control Committees (PCCs).

How is single-use plastic harmful to the environment?

• As per the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), plastic was harmful to the environment as it is non-biodegradable and takes years to disintegrate. But single-use plastics are worse — never breaking down completely, they degrade and become micro plastics and continue to pollute the environment.
• It can take thousands of years for plastic bags to decompose, thus contaminating our soil and water in the process. The noxious chemicals used to produce plastic gets transmitted to animal tissue, and finally, enter the human food chain, the WWF says.
• Birds usually confuse shreds of plastic bags for food and end up eating the toxic debris.
• Fish consume thousands of tons of plastic in a year, ultimately transferring it up the food chain to marine mammals.

Global efforts to tackle the single-use plastics menace

• The United States, which ranks as the world’s leading contributor to plastic waste will phase out single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands over the next decade.
• The Canadian government is banning companies from importing or making plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers by the end of this year, their sale by the end of next year, and their export by the end of 2025.
• Kenya, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have all put in place various bans on single-use plastic goods.
• Restrictions on single-use plastic bags took effect in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi recently, as part of its efforts for a “greener future”.

Important Fact for Exam 

Center for Science and Environment (CSE)

• Founder: Anil Agarwal
• Founded: 18 August 1980

Polymer

• A class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules, which are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers.

Classification of polymers based on source of availability

• Natural polymers: Like – protein, starch, cellulose and rubber.
• Semi-synthetic polymers: Such as – cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate.
• Synthetic polymers: like -Nylon-6, 6, polyether, etc.