MISMANAGEMENT OF WASTE
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, India mismanages 85 per cent of its waste.
Some experts said India’s plastic problem is a multi-faceted one, requiring a change in waste management practices as well as making sure policies are properly implemented.
In 2022, India outlawed 19 single-use plastic items such as plastic bags, cutlery and straws, which experts said was not a comprehensive enough measure.
Today, critics believe the ban is not being sufficiently enforced, allowing manufacturers and retailers to skirt the ban.
For the ban to be effective, people need education as well as advocacy to switch to alternatives, said independent environmental consultant Swati Singh Sambyal.
She added that there must be more effective monitoring and compliance systems.
However, reducing plastic waste is not top of mind for the poorest segments of society that are living hand to mouth.
Hari Ram Mukhiya’s small convenience store in a New Delhi slum caters to these groups, such as tuk tuk drivers and daily wage labourers.
His customers are used to getting plastic bags for free, unable to afford eco-friendly packaging or pay for carrier bags made from paper or cotton.
They also can only afford to buy smaller packets of goods and pay for what they need only when they need it.
“People here cannot spend 100 rupees (US$1.20) or 50 rupees at a time. They would rather buy sachets worth 1 rupee, and that’s all we sell,” said Mukhiya.
The use of sachets like these add to the plastic litter problem.
