- Monday, April 29, 2024
India is estimated to reach its Plastic Overshoot Day – when its waste management systems will no longer be capable of managing the plastic waste generated – on April 23.
By: Twinkle Roy
GOVERNMENTS across the world are trying to improve their waste management systems but the gross plastic waste production is exceeding the limit that the planet can manage. India is among the 12 countries responsible for 60 per cent of the planet’s mismanaged plastic waste and will soon reach its ‘overshoot day’ — making its waste unmanageable.
Although the south Asian nation’s per capita plastic waste production is among the lowest in the world (eight kilograms of per capita waste a year), it is expected to produce 7.4 million tons of plastic waste this year which is “very high”, The Plastic Overshoot Day report by the Swiss non-profit EA Earth Action has said.
“Twelve countries are responsible for 60 per cent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste: China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, the United States and Turkey,” it said.
Read: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk appeals to Modi to protect Ladakh
However, India’s mismanaged plastic waste will still be much lesser than that generated by the world’s top two economies — the US and China. The former’s plastic waste is three times more than India while the latter’s is five times.
The report also said that India is estimated to release an average of 391,879 tons of microplastics into the environment and 31,483 tons of chemical additives into waterways.
The report comes ahead of the fourth meeting of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Ottawa, Canada, as the world leaders attempt to develop a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
Read: Antarctica’s diminishing sea ice can warm Southern Ocean
People living in Belgium are the top generators of plastic waste, with a yearly production of 147.7 kilograms per person. This is 16 times higher than that in India.
Oman tops the list of countries in terms of mismanaged plastic waste, with a projected 111 kilograms of mismanaged plastic per person in 2024. This is 30 times more than Norway.
The report said that by the current month, nearly half of the world’s population will be living in areas that are subsumed by plastic waste while on September 5, the plastic waste produced globally will surpass the planet’s waste management systems and will be called “Plastic Overshoot Day”.
Each country has its own “Plastic Overshoot Day”, determined by the amount of plastic waste generated and the country’s capacity to manage it.
India will reach its Plastic Overshoot Day on April 23, the report said.
Read: India’s top court says right to life to include climate change effects
“The data is unequivocal: improvements in waste management capacity are outpaced by rising plastic production, making progress almost invisible,” Sarah Perreard, Co-CEO, at EA Earth Action & Plastic Footprint Network, said.
“The assumption that increased recycling and waste management capacity will solve the plastic crisis is flawed. Without aggressive reduction at the source, our struggle against plastic pollution will be a holding pattern at best,” she added.
