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Plastic and Biomedical waste post COVID-19
Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment
- The threat of plastic pollution: Plastic pollution has grown to become one of the greatest sustainability challenges of the 21st century. Its increasing release into the environment stresses the integrity of ecosystems, and poses various threats to human health. Plastic production has increased from 300 to 360 million tonnes during the past 5 years, out of which 50 per cent are purportedly single-use plastic items. Plastic particles (here in the form of tiny 'microplastics') have become so ubiquitous that they were even discovered in the placenta of an unborn child, and otherwise find their way into aquatic ecosystems, particularly the ocean. Previous studies have estimated that 8 million metric tonnes of macroplastic and 1.5 metric tonnes of primary microplastic enter the world's oceans every year.
- How pandemic hit: The COVID-19 induced pandemic and related control measures have had devastating impacts on societies in 2020, and its immediate threat has overshadowed a multitude of environmental concerns, including climate change. A linked dimension of concern is the pandemics' disruptive effects on the roadmap towards agenda 2030, and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The increasing use of health-related single-use plastic (SUP) items, including personal protective equipment (PPEs) has been essential to contain the COVID-19 virus, but adds to the plastic pollution problem, if not properly managed.
- A new road ahead: While the pandemic caused setbacks on progress towards achieving the SDGs, 2021 also offers opportunities to reflect and think ahead. In the aftermath of crisis, avenues to learn and precipitate change that departs from a status quo may open. A sustainable development agenda post COVID-19 must focus on sustainability and justice, building back greener and developing inclusive solutions that leave no one behind. This prominent theme will also figure at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2021 under the umbrella of 'Redefining our Common Future: Safe and Secure Environment for All'.
- Plastic and PPEs: Plastic waste generation in India during 2018–19 was estimated at 3.36 million tonnes per year, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). But plastic waste generation and waste released indiscriminately into the environment are different. The latter is more difficult to measure and mainly becomes a marine pollution challenge, if mismanaged. India is the 12th largest releaser of plastic waste into the oceans. While India's per capita plastic waste generation is relatively low compared to the global average, a growing population and fast-paced economic development contributes to a sharp increase in SUP consumption.
- Biomedical waste: Unlike plastic waste, biomedical waste is usually managed in a closed loop system in tune with the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (BMWM Rules) but capacities to handle waste volumes safely differ across regions and localities. The growth in single-use plastic for PPEs, such as face shields, gloves, goggles and PPE suits, has added to the pressure on municipal waste management systems. A staggering 129 billion disposable face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves are estimated6 to be used globally every month and have become a visible manifestation of a new normal. They are found littered or washed up at beaches across India affecting wildlife and human health. COVID-19 has, perhaps, partly flipped the narrative of the plastic debate, as SUPs played the role of 'saviour' through its widespread application in protective health functions.
- Role of Informal Sector in Plastic Waste Management: Data from the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) highlights that employment in India remains overwhelmingly informal; for instance, among waste pickers and intermediaries, 75 per cent are informally employed. Limited data exists on the size of the sector, with estimates suggesting that between 2 and 4 million people are engaged in it. The socio-economic impacts from the pandemic were felt acutely by the entire informal sector and its workers, whose access to social security, government insurance schemes, and health care is limited. Following the initial lockdown in March 2020, limited livelihood opportunities in the cities triggered a massive reverse migration of mostly informal workers, whose long and arduous journey home—shocked the collective consciousness of the nation. The informal waste management sector has typically been characterized by small-scale and unskilled recycling activities, providing a source of income for workers living under conditions of economic insecurity.
- Aligning Goals: The COVID-19 induced pandemic proved to be a stark reminder of the societal value that essential services and their providers hold, from health care to informal waste workers. It also reminded us of unequally distributed crisis-impacts and the inherent fragility of our economic, ecological, and social systems. What does this mean for the SDGs and a future roadmap towards environmental justice and sustainability?
- Principles of environmental justice imply that the responsibility and burden for environmental degradation and pollution are shared equally. It also implicitly links to questions of power, and empowerment. The informal waste management sector remains highly vulnerable, and poor safety standards exacerbate health risks for informal sector workers, which combined with little access to social security provisions, domicile benefits and market volatility cause livelihood insecurities.
- More efforts are required to support and recognize informal workers, assess the sectors' capacity, and leverage it towards targeting environmental goals such as reducing wastage, and ill-managed plastic pollution. Possible support mechanisms range from infrastructure support to legal and economic instruments.
- As India moves towards a framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), opportunities exist for EPR mechanisms to foster infrastructure investment and introduce economic incentives that support informal sector collection of low-value plastics, such as buy-back or deposit refund schemes for SUPs15.
- Looking beyond crisis: Plastic pollution embodies a multifaceted environmental issue, structurally anchored in our modern-day consumer societies. The increasing use of SUPs is both a boon and bane, as we can gauge from the COVID-19 pandemic. But plastic pollution is also symptomatic of the contradictions and challenges we face when dealing with this versatile material, in its various garbs and manifestations; it can be both a saviour and pollutant based on how waste is used and managed. Responsible production, consumption, and recycling enforced through regulation and supported by technological innovation will play a major role in its safe management. There is however no magic bullet. The looming challenge of mass vaccination and related biomedical waste, involving hundreds of millions of people will be a major task for waste management systems.
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