December 2020
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT Turning Challenges Into Opportunities
THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE Creating Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future © COPYRIGHT
The material in this publication is copyrighted. Content from this discussion paper may be used for non-commercial purposes, provided it is attributed to the source. This publication does not advocate or criticize any kind of plastic industry.
Authors Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow and Director, Environment & Waste Management Division, TERI
Sourabh Manuja, Fellow, Centre for Waste Management, Environment & Waste Management Division, TERI
Advisor Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow & Program Director, TERI
Suggested Format for Citation Pandey,S. and Manuja,S. 2020. Plastic Waste Management-Turning Challenges into Opportunities. New Delhi: The Energy and Resources Institute
TERI Press Abhas Mukherjee Rajiv Sharma
Published by
The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
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2 ∞ Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities CONTENTS
1. PLASTIC WASTE—HOW BIG IS THE ISSUE?...... 5 Increasing Plastic Demand...... 5 Increasing Plastic Waste...... 5 2. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES WITH GROWING PLASTIC WASTE...... 6 Recycling Issues...... 6 Environmental Challenges...... 7 3. REGULATIONS ON PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT...... 8 Bans on Single-Use Plastics...... 8 Regulations on Plastic Waste Management in India...... 9 Challenges in Plastic Waste Management ...... 9 4. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO MANAGE PLASTICS...... 10 Alternate Choices...... 10 Strengthened Waste Management Systems and Awareness...... 11 Economic Relevance of the Plastic Sector...... 11 Strengthening Reverse Logistics Chain...... 12 5. RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 12 6. REFERENCES ...... 14
Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities ∞ 3 4 ∞ Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities 1. PLASTIC WASTE—HOW BIG rate (CAGR) of ~10% from 2018 to 2023 and reach INR ~640.38 billion by 2023 (Netscribes (India) IS THE ISSUE? Pvt Ltd, 2019). Consumption of plastic also varies Plastics not only are enduring, lightweight and in different regions of the country. Western India available at low prices, but also have very good has traditionally been the largest consumer of thermal and electrical insulation properties. The plastics accounting for almost 47% of the total versatile properties of various plastic polymers— consumption whereas Northern, Eastern, and being water resistant, non-porous, ductile and Southern regions consume 23%, 21%, and 9%, malleable—make them suitable for manufacturing a respectively (FICCI, 2014). wide range of products that also bring medical and technological advances in our modern society. We Increasing Plastic Waste have seen how plastics proved beneficial in making One of the consequences of using excess plastics personal protective equipment (PPE) during the is generation of plastic waste, especially through COVID-19 outbreak around the world. Sectors such products as food production and preservation, electronics, which are of packaging, textile and transportation are highly In India, the average plastic waste single use. dependent on plastics in our present day life. Plastic comprises of high-density polyethylene The trends (HDPE)/low-density polyethylene (LDPE) packaging has also facilitated ease in transportation of waste (66.91%), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of a wide range of food, beverages, and other (8.66%), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (4.14%), generation goods to far-off locations, which was earlier polypropylene (PP) (9.9%), polystyrene over the (PS) (4.77%), and others (6.43%) (Central not possible. The light weight of plastics makes past years Pollution Control Board, 2015) transportation economical and its barrier properties showcase help in increasing the shelf life of food items, thus that by 2025, waste generation from lower-middle leading to reduction in food waste. As a result, income countries will increase drastically by about plastics are gradually displacing other packaging 159% from the 2010 levels. However, over the same materials. duration waste generations from upper middle income countries will grow by about 48% only Increasing Plastic Demand (Hoornweg and Bhada-Tata 2012). The World Bank Statistics reveal that plastic production around the has also reported that the total waste generation world has increased from 1.5 million tonne per year in South Asian region is expected to double by as reported in 1950 to 359 million tonne per year 2050, out of which plastics constitute about 57% at in 2018 (Garside 2019). About 40% of the global present (Kaza, Yao, Bhada-Tata, et al. 2018). plastic is consumed by the packaging industry with The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the combination of rigid and flexible plastics (Trade estimated that in 2017, Indian cities generated Promotion Council of India 2019). about 9.47 million tonne of plastic waste. This India consumed around 18.45 million tonne of was because roughly 70% of the plastic packaging plastics in 2018–19 (PlastIndia, 2019), and was products are converted to waste in a short span expected to grow to 22 million tonnes by end of time (CPCB 2018, MoHUA2019). Though India’s of this decade (Federation of Indian chambers commodity plastic consumption was only 13.6 kg of Commerce and Industry, 2017). In India, total per capita per year in 2018–19 against the world plastics consumed for packaging in 2018 was average of 30 kg per capita per year (PlastIndia around 59%, 42% consumption was for flexible 2019), plastic waste generation is expected to and 17% consumption was for rigid packaging increase to 31.4 million tonne by 2031 and further (PlastIndia, 2019). As the number of middle-class to 55 million tonne by 2041 (Statista 2019), consumers increases in the country and rising thus showcasing an urgent need to address the GDP, the Indian flexible packaging market is further concerns from the growing plastic waste in our expected to grow at a compound annual growth country.
Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities ∞ 5 2. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Recycling Issues WITH GROWING PLASTIC Unlike glass and aluminium, which can be recycled WASTE any number of times without any loss of materials, plastics are often downcycled and even lost in The invention of plastics came as a blessing, but the recycling process (National Geograpic Society single-use plastics or those uneconomical for 2018, OurAukland2016). Further, plastic recycling collection and recycle,1 in association with lack rates vary significantly across different countries of awareness and poor solid waste management and polymer types (OECD 2018). in cities, has resulted into its littering and finally reaching marine environment from land-based sources. Globally since 1950, nearly 8.3 billion Total plastics entering marine environment was estimated tonne of virgin plastics have been produced and 6.3 to be 12.2 million tonne in 2015. Out of this, 94% was estimated to have gone onto sea floors, 1% floating on billion tonne of plastic waste have been generated, ocean surface, and 5% remaining onto beaches. When of which 9% has been recycled, 12% incinerated, sources of marine plastic pollution were assessed, 4.1% and 79% accumulated in landfills or abandoned originated from land-based inland activities, 73.77% originated through land-based coastal activities, 14.34% in the environment (Geyer, Jambeck, and Law originated from sea- based activites (66% from fishing litter 2017). Unlike organic waste, plastics can take and 34% from shipping litter), and 7.79% orginated from hundreds of years to decompose in nature (New primary microplastics (Eunomia 2016) Hampshire Department of Environmental Services n.d.). Most plastics do not biodegrade, and instead, Though, plastics can be upcycled through they defragment as micro plastics (United Nations chemical recycling routes whereby it can be turned Environment Programme 2018). back to monomer that can be polymerized, some hindrances still exist, including energy cost, de- Globally, the total packaging waste generated in polymerization selectivity, de-polymerizability, 2013 was 78 million tonne. It is estimated that only and performance trade-offs, which need to be 14% of this plastic was recycled. Figure 1 represents addressed (Tang, et al. 2018). the global plastic waste management scenario in 2013 to further justify the impact that mismanaged Proper management of plastic wastes in an plastics pose to our environment (World Economic environment-friendly manner, routing them into Forum 2016). However, some sources note 18% circular economy loop, still remains a challenge to as global recycling rates too (Jambeck, Geyer, and be addressed. Law 2017).
Land lling, 40 Eectively recycled, 2
lost in process, 4
Other, 14
Leaked into Recycled to lower environment, 32 value application, 8 Incineration, 14
Figure 1: Global packaging waste management in 2013 (World Economic Forum, 2016)
1 Also referred to as single-use plastics, which are not planned, designed, or sold with circular economy approach.
6 ∞ Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities Environmental Challenges fragments less than around 5 millimetres in diameter, and nanoplastics are extremely small The CPCB reports that 94% of the plastics that microplastics (<1 micron size). Microplastics mostly we consume are recyclable (CPCB 2018). Recent enter the environment through vehicle tyres reports suggest that of the 15.71 million tonne dust, pallet spells, textiles, building paints, road of plastics we consumed in 2018–19, about 42% paints, cosmetics, and marine paints (Eunomia entered into waste stream within 1 year and 2016). Macroplastics have been shown to cause 12.73% within 5 years, the remaining being long- physical harm to wildlife. A lot of harm stems from term usage plastics. Of the 8.6 million tonne of the physical effects of plastics when animals eat waste plastics, about 70% gets recycled (PlastIndia macro-plastics, which then block their digestive Foundation 2019). The uncollected and non- systems. Wildlife can also get entangled in macro- recycled plastics are either dumped in terrestrial plastics that can prevent them from moving, or aquatic environment or are openly burnt in feeding, or breeding. Macro-plastics are a threat cities, posing environmental challenges. It is to marine ecosystems because oceans and seas, also estimated that India was the 12th largest the final reservoir for flowing waters, also carry contributor to marine litter, and contributed 0.09– plastic trash. When microplastics enter the oceans, 0.24 million tonne of plastic marine debris in 2010 these cannot be filtered out. The plastic marine (Jambeck, Geyer, and Law 2017). debris affects adversely about 267 species globally, including 86% of sea turtles, 44% of seabirds, and Studies by the Ocean Conservancy and the UNEP 43% of marine mammals (Agency 2017). Figure 2 have also established that on a global scale, 80% of highlights other additional impact of plastic waste litter in oceans originates from land-based activities on terrestrial and marine environment. It is further (Jeftic, Sheavly, and Adler 2009). About 90% of this estimated that in 2014, there was 1 kg plastic in the comprises plastic waste—mostly single-use plastic ocean for every 5 kg of fish, and by 2050 there will (Griffin, Wilkins, and Bowen 2019). be more plastic than fish (MoHUA 2019). Plastics in the environment degrade into particles in There is evidence that the toxic chemicals added due course of time. These particles are categorized during the manufacture of plastic (additives) based on their size, shape, and type of material transfer to animal tissue, eventually entering the from which they are made of. Macro-plastic human food chain. Styrofoam products, which products, whole or in fragments, are large items contain carcinogenic chemicals such as styrene and that can be seen by the naked eye and include benzene, are highly toxic if ingested, damaging the plastic bags, bottles, cups, lids, straws, containers, nervous systems, lungs, and reproductive organs and fishing nets. Microplastics refer to tiny plastic