India to ban single-use plastic: Why is it is so hazardous? Which countries have taken steps to get rid of it?

With 1 July fast-approaching, India is getting ready to bid bye-bye to single-use plastic.

Let’s take a look at what it is, why it is so hazardous and which countries have taken steps against it:

What is it?

Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.

These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging.

Why is it bad for the environment?

As per the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), plastic is harmful to the environment as it is non-biodegradable, takes years to disintegrate. But single-use plastics are worse — never breaking down completely, they degrade and become microplastics and continue to pollute the environment.

It can take thousands of years for plastic bags to decompose, thus contaminating our soil and water in the process. The noxious chemicals used to produce plastic gets transmitted to animal tissue, and finally, enter the human food chain, the WWF says.

Birds usually confuse shreds of plastic bags for food and end up eating the toxic debris.

Fish consume thousands of tons of plastic in a year, ultimately transferring it up the food chain to marine mammals.

Can it be recycled?

Technically, yes.

But the fact remains that the though plastics industry has attempted to portray the problem as something that can be overcome through recycling, only nine percent of all the plastic the world has ever made has been recycled, and recycling rates are stagnant.

Humans use about 1.2 million plastic bottles per minute in total. Roughly half of our global annual plastic production is destined for a single-use product.

Plastic waste is devastating for fish and other wildlife, with oceans bearing the brunt of the impact since they are downstream of all pollution sources.

Around 380 million metric tons of plastic are being produced yearly with 8.3. billion metric tons produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity.

The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) recent report From Pollution to Solution shows there is currently between 75 to 199 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean, and in 2016 some 9-14 tons of waste entered the aquatic ecosystem.

It is estimated that by 2040, this will have almost tripled to 23-37 million tons per year. Plastics are the largest, most harmful and most persistent of marine litter, accounting for at least 85 per cent of all marine waste.

“It is the single-use nature of products that is the most problematic for the planet, more so than the material that they’re made of,” said Claudia Giacovelli, Programme Officer of the UNEP Life Cycle Unit. “The best solution may not be the same in all societies but taking a life cycle approach can help in setting the base towards the right decision.”

India alone generates 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, around 43 per cent of which comprises single-use plastic. It poses a mammoth problem for India since 40 per cent of plastic waste remains uncollected.

What steps have other countries taken?

The United States, which ranks as the world’s leading contributor of plastic waste, according to a congressionally mandated report released last year, will phase out single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands over the next decade, President Joe Biden’s administration announced as part of actions on World Oceans Day.

This will include the sale and distribution of plastic bags and bottles as well as food wrappers, beverage cups and other tableware, according to an order by the interior secretary Deb Haaland.

Government departments have one year to develop plans to switch over to alternatives, such as biodegradable and compostable materials, and then have until 2032 to complete the transition.

In the US, piecemeal efforts have been put in place by some states, with New York implementing a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2020. Earlier this month, a California bill was introduced to reduce plastic production for single-use products like shampoo bottles and food wrappers by 25 percent starting next decade.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government is banning companies from importing or making plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers by the end of this year, their sale by the end of next year and their export by the end of 2025.

Canada previously announced a ban but environment advocates were dismayed about delays and that Canada’s initial plan was to ban the items at home but continue to ship them abroad. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the dates Monday.

In addition to bags and takeout boxes, the ban will affect plastic straws, bags, cutlery, stir sticks and six-pack rings that hold cans and bottles.

As per The Washington Post, Kenya, Chile, the United Kingdom and the European Union have all put in place various bans on single-use plastic goods.

In June, restrictions on single-use plastic bags took effect in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi Wednesday, as part of its efforts for a “greener future”.

The “single-use plastic bags ban starts today… to encourage sustainable living in Abu Dhabi,” the emirate’s media office said. “Retailers in the emirate are encouraged to offer environmentally friendly reusable bags with a nominal fee to encourage positive behavioural change in the community, and support emirate-wide efforts for a greener future.”

There are exemptions for medicine bags, bag rolls for produce in supermarkets, rubbish sacks and large brand name shopping bags.

With inputs from agencies

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