Delhi adds 690 tonnes to its woes daily...

NEW DELHI: Even as countries around the world are becoming conscious of the environmental impact of single-use plastic, the capital is struggling to impose a ban on plastic bags that are less than 50 microns in thickness. Recently, the European Union took a decision to ban and phase out 10 single-use plastic items, including cutlery, straws, plastic cotton swabs, drink stirrers and balloon sticks.

Delhi generates around 690 tonnes of plastic waste every day. But for odd seizures in certain markets, it is single-use plastic items like milk packets, tetrapacks or multi-layered packaging that are causing the most damage to the ecosystem, experts say.

At present, Delhi is able to effectively recycle only 15-20% of its plastic waste, owing to poor segregation. Also, only plastic pet bottles find adequate takers, with recyclers getting little to no value for items like milk packets or multi-layered packets, Delhi-based NGO Chintan said. The NGO has also launched a one-month campaign with the Canadian High Commission called ‘Plastic Upvaas’, urging people to give up single-use plastic for a day and using alternatives that they can incorporate in their lives. “The campaign aims to highlight the problem of single-use plastic and the damage it is causing to the environment. Countries around the world are banning such items already, while we’re still generating the same amount of plastic waste, if not more,” said Chitra Mukherjee, head of programmes, operations, Chintan.

The NGO, which recently carried out a ‘garbage audit’ in Delhi, found that around 36% of the total branded plastic items were a mix of things like milk packets, tetrapacks and low-recyclable value cups. Mukherjee said the fact that these items do not provide much value to recyclers also makes them more harmful.

Swati Sambyal from the Centre for Science and Environment says the country needs to look at a single-use plastic ban, but a timeline needs to be drawn for that. “Some items like plastic straws or cutlery can be immediately phased out as suitable alternatives like paper straws and plates are available. Other items may require some time and if the government does not draft deadlines, we cannot start the shift,” says Sambyal, who is the programme manager, environmental governance (municipal solid waste).

In August 2017, NGT had imposed an interim ban on plastic bags less than 50 microns in thickness with a fine of Rs 5,000 on violators. However, after an initial flurry, the fine figures have come down drastically. While corporation officials TOI spoke to said this was a result of better implementation, Sambyal said a plastic ban can only be effectively carried out when there were enough alternatives. “For vegetable vendors, cloth bags or jute bags are too expensive and until we give them an option, they will continue to use them,” says Sambyal.

A recent study by CSE had found that cities like Indore, Panchgani and Alapphuza were segregating over 90% of their waste. Delhi segregates less than 30% of its waste.

Priti Mahesh, the chief programme coordinator at Toxics Link, an environmental NGO in Delhi, said items like biscuit packets, toothpaste, chips packets and shampoo sachets with multi-layered packaging are the biggest problems, alongside straws.