Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu lead in generating plastic waste

- Plastic waste is increasing at a rate of 20% every year, only 30% out of 100 is recycled.

- Landfill and incineration taxes should be imposed in India to encourage recycling instead of dumping

In the last five years, plastic consumption has increased rapidly, plastic production has doubled. During the year 2016-17, 13.7 million tonnes of plastic was used every year. It has increased to 19.8 million tonnes in the year 2019-20. That means it has increased at a CAGR of 9.7 percent every year, as stated in the Innovation in Plastics, The Potential and Possibilities report.

Currently, 19.8 million tonnes of plastic is used in India every year. Its annual growth rate is about 10 percent. But, talking about its waste, the rate of increase is more than the rate of plastic consumption. During the year 2016-17, 16 lakh tonnes of plastic waste was generated in our country, which has increased to 34 lakh tonnes in the year 2019-20. Which means it is growing at a CAGR of 20.7 percent.

34 lakh tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year. Out of which only 30 percent waste is disposed (recycled). Now the question must be arising in your mind that where does the rest of the waste go? So the answer is that the rest of the plastic waste goes into the garbage mountain. Where there are no dumping yards for waste, it is being spread over fields or thrown into rivers and seas. Due to which the earth is becoming barren, the rivers are getting polluted. Now even the sea is not untouched by plastic waste. That is why plastic remains are being found in the stomachs of fishes.

The report states that Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are leading in generating plastic waste. These three states together contribute 38 percent of the total plastic waste generated in India. Most of the plastic waste in these states is industrial, which is used for packaging. If seen, 59 percent of the total plastic waste comes from the use of packaging alone. After this, building construction accounts for 13 percent. The share of agriculture sector is 9 percent.

The report states that five items account for the largest share of plastic waste. The first place among these is polythene bag. After that comes the plastic bottles. Then there is the packing of the FMCG product. Also, grocery bags and food wrapping also generate a lot of waste. The plastic waste of all these items is about 23 lakh tons in a year.

There are many side effects of increasing plastic waste. This has the biggest impact on climate. Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing rapidly. Due to which the cycle of weather has been disrupted. If it does not rain on time, the crop is getting damaged due to unseasonal rain. Land is becoming barren due to plastic waste entering the earth. Rivers and seas are also polluted. People are becoming victims of diseases by eating contaminated grains. Plastic waste is also said to be a major cause of cancer.

India should impose 'landfill' and 'incineration' taxes to encourage recycling instead of dumping. In the last five years, the consumption of plastic in India has increased tremendously. It can be reduced if people are made aware about it.