The handiness of plastics is a bane to the environment and ultimately to our health
A meal at any restaurant no longer begins with a server pouring a glass of water for the diner. Instead, the server asks whether he should serve bottled water – if the term ‘regular’ is used it means bottled water at room temperature and not regular filter water poured out of a carafe.
The entry of plastic-packaged drinking water has washed away a basic tenet of Indian hospitality – serving water. This is just another instance of maggification of our habits. Traditional Indian fast foods like Poha don’t stand a chance with advertisements for a 2-minute dish. Even those espousing to be hardcore Indian FMCG brands, like that fronted by a Yoga guru have succumbed to it.
No doubt, there is an issue of dietary wholesomeness to such kinds of foods. But, there is another aspect to it which is as vital – the waste generated from the consumption of packaged food and drink. The world consumes a million plastic bottles a minute, fueled by a thirst for packaged water. By 2020 half a trillion bottles will be consumed. This voraciousness is an environmental disaster because till date only 9% of all the plastic manufactured has been recycled and plastic bottles form only a small part of the plastic waste that we daily dispose.
The fact that by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans and seas than fish has done nothing to curb our enthusiasm for this material. Everything from food items to sachets and pens and cutting boards and flower bouquets are all wrapped in plastic. Even our toiletries have plastics. Items like tooth pastes and shower gels have micro-plastics. Research suggests that frequent consumers of mussels and oysters involuntarily ingesting micro-pieces of plastic annually.
In India the percentage of plastic in our garbage has increased from 0.69% in 1971-73 to currently forming 10% of our garbage. According to FICCI, plastic consumption is going to increase from 12 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes by 2020.
According to a recent Down to Earth report, the average Indian consumes 11Kg of plastic annually. Many consider it insufficient when compared to the US. According to Forbes, the Indian government has set the target of doubling plastic consumption by 2020. This is not what one would call 2020 vision given the environmental disaster that plastic use and disposal promises.
The production, use, consumption and disposal of plastic hinges on a use and throw economy. Further, because there is no proper waste collection and disposal system, no one is responsible for this material. This plastic economy is subsidised by the environment, our health and the unorganised sector that recycles it.
The desire to increase plastic use has also given birth to burn technologies that see India’s bad waste management practices as a burgeoning business – a USD 20 billion industry by 2030. Waste plastic can be used as a fuel and now to pave roads. However, there is an environmental and health consequence of burning plastic which is unfortunately ignored.
Plastic, as a material, is not recyclable; it can be down-cycled or reused into something else. There are enough tutorials on YouTube to show what can be done with plastic bottles – this is just delaying the material’s ultimate fate. Sure mud filled plastic bottles are now used to construct houses, but can a trillion bottles be used up in all these ways? What about all the other plastics?
The handiness of plastics is a bane to the environment and ultimately to our health. Manufacturers, users and consumers – from Reliance to Pepsi and Coke to the car manufacturers to us consumers need to pay for the convenience of this material. Shouldn’t Cola companies take back the plastic bottles and for that matter tetra packs that they use? Why can’t automobile companies remove the plastic wrapping of their new cars and in their spare parts instead of getting their customers to dump it? Such a system would go a long way in reducing the consequences of our unfettered consumption.
Making Goa plastic free as part of Garbage Free Goa promise is a challenge for all Goans. But, it is not only the task of the individual, community or panchayat. Goan businesses need to get their hands dirty too to make this goal a reality. Businesses that use plastic should take on the responsibility of getting it back. One company is already doing it for their glass bottles. Similar systems can be replicated for plastics.
Goa is creating a distributed waste management system that involves centralised treatment of waste. The system set up in Salegaon converts biodegradable waste into methane and slurry that can be used as manure. Unfortunately, the dry waste like plastic is transported to Karnataka, at the cost of the exchequer, to be burnt in cement kilns. The government is planning to divide Goa into four zones with similar kinds of systems and smaller composting facilities.
Sadly, this plan does not take into consideration the tenets of waste management – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Goa needs to Refuse plastic in the garbage it generates, then Reduce the amount of garbage that goes into such facilities. Finally, materials that can be Reused or Recycled, should be.
There are economic benefits of following the 4Rs. Large tracts of land are not needed for waste disposal, investments and recurring costs like purchase and upkeep of vehicles for waste collection decrease because there is less waste to collect and dispose, pollution is reduced because of waste reduction and finally time and effort in sorting waste reduces.
Another principle of waste management is managing waste at its source. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been promoting waste segregation and composting for bulk generators including housing societies. Infact 3,300 such generators have been identified and notices sent to 3,256. 835 have complied with the order while 500 are facing prosecution as per reports.
As a consequence, newspapers note a reduction in waste collection – from 9,500 metric tonnes daily to 7,200 metric tonnes. 200 trucks are slotted to be removed from garbage collection. 200 trucks are slotted to be removed from garbage collection duty. Further, by composting their garbage these generators not only have a source of income – sale of compost but are also able to grow their own vegetables in some cases.
Large centralised facilities absolve people and businesses of their responsibilities to reduce waste. Can the government in Goa engage its citizens to keep their state clean?
