India contributes to a fifth of global plastic pollution, a study published in the journal Nature last week found. India burns roughly 5.8 million tonnes (mt) of plastic each year, and releases another 3.5 mt of plastics into the environment (land, air, water) as debris.
Cumulatively, India contributes to 9.3 mt of plastic pollution in the world annually, significantly more than the countries next in this list — Nigeria (3.5 mt), Indonesia (3.4 mt) and China (2.8 mt) — and exceeding previous estimates.
According to a study carried out by University of Leeds researchers Joshua W Cottom, Ed Cook, and Costas A Velis, estimated that around 251 mt of plastic waste is produced every year, enough to fill up roughly 200,000 Olympic sized swimming pools. Roughly a fifth of this waste — 52.1 mt — is “emitted” into the environment, unmanaged.
On the other hand, the world is facing the problem of depleting fossil fuel reserves, which includes India. Although fossil fuels have been around for millions of years, we’ve only been using them for around two centuries. In that relatively short space of time, though, we’ve consumed a massive amount and it continues unabated.
So, if we continue at our current rate, it is estimated that all of our fossil fuels will be depleted by 2060. If we keep on mining the earth in such a damaging way, we might find new reserves that will push that date back. Of course, we don’t want that to happen.
Additionally, the carbon emissions from burning of fossil fuels is compounding the problem of climate change and global warming. Keep all these issues in mind, the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)’s new technology that converts plastics into biodiesel using marine bacteria, is a welcome move.
India is highly dependent on imported oil to meet its energy needs, and biofuels can help reduce this reliance. Biofuels can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air, water, and land pollution. It can also help reduce India’s import bill.
However, NIO’s technology is not the only one to beat plastic pollution in the country. A slew of technologies supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India are coming up to tackle the increasing menace through reducing, reusing and recycling plastic, paving the path towards sustainable development.
Many of these technologies are being used at a pilot scale and scaling them up could bring relief from this ever growing challenge. The technology development and transfer division of the department funds technology development projects including materials, devices and processes.
It is essential that we scale up innovations happening in the country and across the world to deal with the various problems that are threatening to destroy our beautiful earth. Be it plastic pollution or climate change, both have a common source – carbon emission in the atmosphere. If we have more such technology that can be commercialised for large scale recycling of plastic waste into important by-products like biofuel, then a lot of our problems can be arrested.
Reversal is not possible since a lot of damage has already been done. But sincere efforts should be made by the government to take measures regarding reduction of plastic consumption and recycling of this hazardous material, which is taking a toll on our ecosystem.
But the onus for course correction is not only on the government. The masses also have to take efforts to change their lifestyle. The best way to start is refusing polythene carry bags. The government should also encourage subsidy to manufacturers of cloth bags and that benefit should be passed on to the grocery stores.
Today one biodegradable plastic carry bag costs Rs 5 per unit and a cloth bag at least Rs 10. But non-degradable carry bags are mostly available for free and are in abundance. This beats the entire idea of battling plastic menace. There has to be a holistic effort to resolve the plastic pollution crisis.