Closing the Loop: Towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management Solutions

Blog by Mitali Agarwal Mehta, Sr. Program Manager, ISC and Aditya Bhuyan, Asst. Program Manager, ISC

Plastic waste has become a pressing global issue, and Annie Leonard's insightful statement, " There is no such thing as 'away'… when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.", emphasizes the urgency of addressing this problem. In India alone, a staggering 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated annually, with only 30% being recycled. 

Additionally, 20% of plastic waste is used for co-incineration, plastic-to-fuel, and road construction, which means that this waste gets burnt. Based on these figures, a staggering 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste is sent to landfills or aquatic dumps each year contributing to environmental degradation. The implications of plastic production and plastic pollution reach far beyond our planet, as evidenced by the discovery of human trash on Mars. This shows how far and wide the impact of plastic waste can be if not addressed correctly.

The Urgency of Sustainable Plastic Waste Management:

The devastating effects of plastic production and pollution cannot be overlooked, as they have a catastrophic impact on climate change, nature loss, and pollution. Exposure to plastics can have adverse effects on human health, potentially affecting fertility, hormones, metabolism, and neurological activities. Open burning of plastics further exacerbates the problem by contributing to air pollution, which harms the environment and human well-being.

Focusing on one of the main contributors of solid waste, Plastic, and taking cognizance of the crisis at hand, last year we brought out a compendium, titled “Cities in Crisis: Best Practices on Curbing Plastic Waste across Urban India” to capture some of the noteworthy attempts across the country that are dealing with the critical problem of plastic waste management. 

The document adopted a closed-loop approach to comprehend the issues in terms of infrastructure development, building a sustainable value chain at the micro-level for upcycling or recycling which in the long term will enable India to manage plastic waste sustainably. Efforts were made to envision a closed-loop system of plastic waste management (PWM) which commences with Behaviour Change Campaigns (BCC) for alternatives to plastic products, goes on to Awareness building and BCC for plastic waste management; Capacity building and training for PWM; Data collection and integration across the chain; Collection from source to processing facility; Segregation, Sorting at processing facility; Collection/Transportation; and concludes with end-of-life processes like Upcycling, recycling plastic, incineration, or landfill dumping. (For a detailed diagram refer to Figure 1 on page no. 8 of the compendium).

This comprehensive document encompasses 20 case studies from 19 different organizations across 19 states in India. These case studies address, in varying degrees, one or more aspects of the closed-loop system of the plastic waste management value chain, offering a comprehensive overview of plastic waste management (PWM) efforts and in turn providing valuable insights and solutions.

Key findings and Recommendations

It was observed that many organizations (15 out of 19) were emphasizing awareness-building and BCC activities for PWM and capacity-building and training for PWM and these activities were being implemented in more than 15 States which indicates a positive trend. It was further observed that a significant number of models in different states focus on activities like collection of waste and taking it to the processing facility (12 models in 16 states); sorting and segregation of waste at the processing facility (13 models in 17 states); and collection/transportation of waste to end-of-life processes (12 models in 16 states).

However, there were gaps in areas like behaviour change communication (BCC) for alternatives to plastic products and integrating recycling/upcycling into the model. While organizations prioritize BCC for Plastic Waste Management (PWM), a critical area left unaddressed in dealing with the issue of plastic pollution is awareness generation for alternatives to plastic products and responsible plastic usage with only 4 out of 19 organisations working on BCC for alternatives to plastic waste.

Presently, the common practice involves users selling high-value plastic waste to scrap dealers, while low-value waste goes to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). This setup makes running an MRF less profitable. Thus, if scrap dealers are incorporated into the MRF, both high-value and low-value waste can be processed in the same facility, boosting profitability. Additionally, for a model to be comprehensive and sustainable in the long run, it must include recycling/upcycling in its operations. This approach will also help in formalising waste workers and engaging them in different activities across the value chain. 

The analysis also showed that the component of data collection (tracking and traceability of waste) was lagging, as only 9 out of 20 models had integrated this component across the value chain. Despite this gap, it's noteworthy that these 9 models are being implemented across 16 states.

Some other significant observations were:

Comprehensive plastic value chain - An excellent illustration is the implementation of PWM by the CEE in eight Indian cities. This model addresses every facet of the PWM value chain, concentrating on bridging gaps through the utilization of existing infrastructure/value chains and, when necessary, establishing new ones to establish a thorough system. Moreover, it serves as an excellent example of the PPCP (Public, Private, Community Partnership) model, where the government supplies significant infrastructure and collection/transportation vehicles, while the implementation partner bears the responsibility for the operation and maintenance of MRF and MRCs, along with transportation costs.

Lack of monitoring system- As many models conclude after transporting waste to recyclers/incinerators, there is a lack of a standardized monitoring mechanism to guarantee responsible processing by these entities. Hence there's a necessity to establish a centralized monitoring system that includes both citizens and the government, ensuring dual accountability and transparency. A replicable and scalable example is that of GIZ-India, who have developed a digital portal- 'Sansadhan' to digitally monitor the waste collected, aggregated, and diverted into the recycled loop.

Use of Technology- Another significant finding is that technology usage is mostly confined to data collection, ensuring traceability, and sorting and segregation at the processing plant. This leaves room for a broader integration of technology across various components of the PWM value chain for plastic waste reduction strategies.

Role of government and corporates- The study reveals that while government support focuses on infrastructure development, awareness generation, capacity building, monitoring, and expanding operations to new geographies; corporates play a crucial role in funding operations and creating viable revenue sources. The model implemented by ITC-Saharanpur, "Community-led Decentralized Waste Management Model for Plastic Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling," effectively highlights the collaborative efforts/models for plastic waste management of corporates, government, and the local community.

Analyzing the closed-loop system and the involved organizations shows that only 30% have a comprehensive model. Yet, when looking at the states where these models were implemented, it's noteworthy that in 70% of these states, different organizations are addressing various components of the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) value chain, effectively closing the loop. Therefore, if efforts are made (with government support) to bring all these organizations on a common platform, their strengths can be harnessed, avoiding duplication of efforts. Collaboration between government, corporates, and local communities plays a pivotal role in funding and establishing a robust plastic waste management value chain. By bringing together organizations and leveraging their strengths, a unified approach can be attained to effectively close the loop and combat plastic pollution.

To read more about how India is combating plastic pollution, download our annual compendium titled “Cities in Crisis: Best Practices on Curbing Plastic Waste across Urban India” from here.