Plastic pollutions

Published on 05 Apr 2025

Plastic pollution is a global environmental issue characterized by the accumulation of plastic garbage in many environments, endangering species, ecosystems, and human health. India produces 3.5 million tonnes of plastics annually, with a per capita consumption of 25,490 grams.

Sources of Plastic Pollution

• Single-Use Plastics: Items made for one-time use contribute significantly to pollution.

• Microplastics: Tiny particles which are less than 5mm in length resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items or deliberately manufactured in products like microbeads.

• Industrial Waste: Improper disposal of plastic waste from manufacturing processes.

• Littering: Discarding plastics in the environment, including rivers and oceans.

Impacts of Plastic Pollution

• Land Pollution and Environmental Degradation: It harms wildlife, contaminates soil, and disrupts ecosystems in terrestrial habitats.

• Example: Plastic waste accumulation in Kingston Harbour of Jamaica lead to decline of mangroves.

• Air Pollution: Burning plastics release toxic gases into the atmosphere which contribute to air pollution.

• Example: Studies have shown airborne microplastic concentrations ranging from 0.01 particles per cubic meter in parts of the Pacific Ocean to several thousand particles per cubic meter in London and Beijing.

• Ocean Pollution: Huge amounts of plastics are dumped into the ocean harming marine ecosystems through ingestion, entanglement and habitat disruption.

• Example: Plastic is found inside fish in the deepest recesses of the ocean peppering Arctic Sea ice and blanketing the snows on the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

• Human Health Concerns: Microplastics have been discovered in a variety of food and drinking water sources, raising worries about potential human ingestion and health consequences.

• Example: Microplastics have been documented in all parts of the human lung, in maternal and foetal placental tissues, in human breast milk and in human blood.

• Climate change: Carbon emissions rise when plastic garbage is burned because it emits harmful gases and carbon dioxide into the environment.

• Example: London’s King’s and Imperial Colleges have estimated that the soot from plastic burning has a global warming impact equivalent to between 2% and 10% of the global emissions of CO2

• Tourism and Economy: Plastic garbage degrades the aesthetic appeal of popular tourist locations, which lowers revenue from tourism and raises significant expenses for maintenance and cleaning of the sites.

• Example: Marine Plastic pollution adversely affected tourism sectors of Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Government initiatives and policy measures

• Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022: The rules mandate the generators of plastic waste to take steps to minimize generation of plastic waste, prevent littering of plastic waste, and ensure segregated storage of waste at source among other measures.

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): The Indian government has enacted EPR, requiring plastic manufacturers to manage and dispose of trash generated by their goods.

• Ban on single-use plastics: In many states of India, it is illegal to produce, use, or sell single-use plastic items like straws, bags, cups, plates, and cutlery.

• The “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021: It is a unique competition in which start-ups/entrepreneurs and students from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are tasked to create innovative solutions to reduce plastic pollution and discover alternatives to single-use plastics.

International initiatives

• United Nations Environment Programme: It spearheads international efforts to combat plastic pollution, including the Clean Seas Campaign.

• Plastic Pollution Coalition: It is an advocacy group and social movement organization which seeks to reduce plastic pollution.

• MARPOL: It is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.

Prevention and Control of Pollutions

• Circular Economy Practices: Infrastructure for recycling should be expanded and invested in to make it more effective and accessible.

• Biodegradable Plastics: Invest in the research and development of biodegradable and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastics.

• Improved Collection Systems: To avoid plastic leakage into rivers and oceans, strengthen waste collection infrastructure, particularly in developing countries. 

Community Clean-Ups: Organize and engage in community clean-up efforts to remove existing plastic litter from natural habitats.

Tags:
Environment

Keywords:
Pollution Plastic pollution Marine biodiversity

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 3

Topics:
Environment and Climate Change