India Tops in Global Plastic Pollution: A Wake-Up Call

India's Plastic Pollution Status

• Recently Study finds, India is now the largest plastic polluter globally, producing 9.3 million tonnes annually.
• This accounts for about 20% of total global plastic emissions.
• India's official waste generation rate (0.12 kg per capita per day) is likely underestimated.
• Waste collection rates are probably overestimated.
• Rural areas, open burning of uncollected waste, and informal sector recycling are not included in official statistics.
• India's plastic waste is double that of populous countries like China, Nigeria, and Indonesia.

Global Plastic Pollution Landscape

• Global plastic waste emissions were 52.1 million tonnes per year in 2020.
• Nigeria (3.5 million tonnes) and Indonesia (3.4 million tonnes) rank second and third respectively.
• China, previously the highest polluter, now ranks fourth due to improved waste management.
• 69% (35.7 million tonnes) of global plastic waste emissions come from 20 countries.
• High-income countries have higher plastic waste generation rates but better collection and disposal systems.
• Littering is the largest emission source in Global North, while uncollected waste dominates in Global South.

List of top 20 Countries in Plastic Pollution

Sources and Definition of Plastic Emissions

• Plastic emissions defined as materials moved from managed to unmanaged systems.

Five main sources identified:

1. Uncollected waste

2. Littering

3. Collection systems

4. Uncontrolled disposal

5. Rejects from sorting and reprocessing

• Study quantified emissions for 50,702 municipality-level administrations.
• Researchers used correction algorithms to account for unreported waste generation.

Implications and Future Actions

• Findings crucial for the Global Plastics Treaty, expected to be finalized by 2024.
• Treaty aims to reduce plastic pollution and related greenhouse gas emissions.
• Study provides a baseline for countries to develop action plans.
• India needs to focus on gathering better data, especially from rural areas.
• Improving waste collection is crucial for addressing the environmental crisis.
• Open, uncontrolled burning is a major challenge in India that needs urgent attention.
• High-income countries' plastic waste exports were deliberately excluded from the analysis.