{"id":23995,"date":"2024-04-22T18:32:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=23995"},"modified":"2024-04-26T12:30:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:00:12","slug":"regulating-single-use-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/22-04-2024\/regulating-single-use-plastics","title":{"rendered":"Regulating Single Use Plastics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment\/Pollution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6b19a32a176ff01cace0deca616eafc5\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>Context:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ahead of the UN meeting in Canada, India chooses to \u2018regulate\u2019, not ban, single-use plastic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1487782ac62286f09224d241177790bb\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>About the Single Use Plastics:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Single-use plastics have become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, used in everything from packaging to consumer goods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These are those that are discarded after one-time use.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, the environmental impact of these materials is now a major global concern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e639cb1b3b1d53c052d976f1a91a4ca0\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>The Global Plastic Problem:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plastic&#8217;s invention in 1907 led to its widespread use due to affordability, durability, and aesthetic appeal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Major single-use plastic applications include <em>food and beverages (31%), bottle and container caps (16%), plastic bags (11%), and straws, stirrers, beverage bottles, and containers (7%).<\/em>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, the non-degradable nature of these materials has led to significant environmental challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India, a country with a population of over 1.4 billion, has chosen to regulate, rather than outright ban, single-use plastic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f2e6b474147a879c5e20c68170ac52b8\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>Challenges Associated with Single-Use Plastics:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Enforcement and Compliance: <\/strong>One of the significant challenges associated with single-use plastics is the enforcement and compliance of regulations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While many governments have implemented regulations to restrict the use of single-use plastics, ensuring compliance can be challenging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Waste Management:<\/strong> India lacks an organised system for the management of plastic waste, leading to widespread littering across its towns and cities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many plastic items end up in landfills or as litter in the streets, rivers, and other public spaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This not only creates unsightly and unhygienic conditions but also poses severe threats to the environment and wildlife.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Impact:<\/strong> The economic impact of single-use plastics is another significant challenge. Many alternatives to single-use plastics are currently more expensive, which can burden retailers and consumers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Furthermore, there are more than 22,000 plastic manufacturing units in India, and it will take time before enough numbers are brought under the alternative segment to make a tangible difference to the packaging sector\u2019s environmental footprint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health Risks:<\/strong> Single-use plastics pose environmental, social, economic, and health risks to people by contributing to the climate crisis, ecosystem degradation, and resource use.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Microplastics, non-biodegradability, and their carbon footprint compound these issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e72e837fb88177af7ac0d941e9bdd6ae\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts Related to Single-Use Plastics:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Regulatory Measures:<\/strong> In 2022, India implemented the <strong>Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules (2021)<\/strong> that banned 19 categories of \u2018single-use plastics\u2019.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These include items such as plastic cups, spoons, earbuds, decorative thermocol, wrapping or packaging film used to cover sweet boxes and cigarette packets, and plastic cutlery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, it does <em>not include plastic bottles \u2013 even those less than 200ml\u2014 and multi-layered packaging boxes (like in milk cartons).<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite the ban, enforcement has been inconsistent, with several outlets continuing to retail these goods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The current ban only addresses about 11% of single-use plastic in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Commitments: <\/strong>India is a party to the <strong>United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In all, 124 nations are part of the UNEA, and India has <strong>signed a resolution to draw up an agreement<\/strong> in the future that will make it <strong>legally binding <\/strong>for signatories to address the full life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Awareness and Participation: <\/strong>The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) to manage 100% of solid waste scientifically.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is being implemented with resolve, and progress is monitored, measured and results placed in the public domain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SBM 2.0<\/strong> also emphasises the need for plastic management \u2013 working towards <strong>minimising single-use plastic<\/strong> and operationalising recycling and reuse through processing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): <\/strong>EPR policies, which hold producers responsible for the disposal of their products, are often part of regulatory approaches.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These policies can incentivize producers to design products that are easier to recycle or dispose of.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3b975b798ca0056f5843883bc8c684fa\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><strong>The Road Ahead:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The upcoming U.N. meet will involve discussions on <strong>\u2018problematic and avoidable plastic products including single-use plastics\u2019,<\/strong> which refer to sections of plastics that are likely to harm the environment as well as human health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The aim is to implement global and national measures such as removing these products from the market, reducing production through alternate practices or non-plastic substitutes, and redesigning problematic items to meet criteria for sustainable and safe product design.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has called a<strong> \u2018zero draft\u2019<\/strong>, that vouches for <strong>\u2018regulating\u2019 instead of \u2018not allowing\u2019,<\/strong> the production, sale, import, and export of problematic and avoidable plastic goods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has, however, agreed to a <strong>\u2018science-based criteria\u2019<\/strong> for identifying such plastics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Why regulating single-use plastics is important instead of implementing a complete ban? Discuss the key efforts made by India in regulating single-use plastics.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Daily-Editorial-Analysis-22-04-2024.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ahead of the UN meeting in Canada, India chooses to \u2018regulate\u2019, not ban, single-use plastic..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23995"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24008,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23995\/revisions\/24008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}