A review of plastic waste management in India – challenges and opportunities

Plastic waste generation in India was around 9.4 million tonnes.year(-1) in 2019 as compared to the global generation rate of more than 380 million tonnes.year(-1) in 2019. Thus, India's contribution was around 3.1% of the global plastic waste generation. Globally, 42% of overall plastics produced are consumed by packaging sector and 17% by the construction sector. Whereas in India 35% is consumed by the packaging sector and 23% by construction sector. Bioplastic production is 1% out of 300 million tonnes of conventional plastics produced annually. This review attempts to analyse the plastic waste management rules, legislations, policies and practices in India during the period 1992-2020. The worldwide trend of bioplastic projects is reflected in studies in India, indicating a changed perception of bioplastics as an alternative source to conventional plastics. However, facilitating the implementation of conventional waste plastic processing plant and production of bioplastics in India involves challenges in terms of technology, developing a standardised framework and financial incentives. A legislative framework for the production of bioplastics in India should be developed alongwith an action plan for energy recovery from plastic waste. Markets for conventional plastic waste processing and production of bioplastic projects are not mature in India. This paper addresses the need for developing a roadmap towards efficient planning and sustainable solutions for both conventional plastics and bioplastics.