Plastic Waste Management in India

All materials or products discarded are considered waste. The waste can be in any physical state (solid, semi-solid, liquid or gaseous), this being one of the keys for its deposit in the different containers. There are several types of wastes, including inorganic ones. But, what is inorganic waste and how is its treatment? In this article, we will delve into “inorganic waste” and its classification. The meaning of inorganic waste refers to all those waste materials whose origin is not biological. Unlike organic waste, inorganic waste has been manufactured in industrial and artificial processes. For example, apple peel is organic waste, but fabrics or plastics are artificially manufactured materials and are therefore inorganic waste. Inorganic waste takes a long time to degrade as it does not “re-integrate” into nature as is the case with the vast majority of organic waste. Some can do it, but over the years and with the release of polluting substances that are harmful to health and...

  Plastic has multiple uses and the physical and chemical properties cause commercial success. However, the indiscriminate disposal of plastic has become a serious threat to the environment. In particular, the plastic carry bags are the most important contributors of littered waste and every year, millions of plastic bags end up in to the environment by soil, water bodies, water courses, etc and it takes a mean of one thousand years to decompose completely. Therefore, to deal with the difficulty of scientific plastic waste management , the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 were notified in 2011, which included plastic waste management. The government has listed the modified Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, in encouragement of the previous Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2011. Plastic Waste Management Rules: The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 aim to: Ø    Ø   Increase minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns an...