‘Single-Use Plastic’ has emerged as one of the biggest environmental
challenges for our planet. It’s cheap, useful, ubiquitous and unfortunately very deadly.

The fact that it’s non-biodegradable and is recycled in very small percentages, means that our planet is with the passage of time becoming a big dumping ground for single-use plastic. A single water bottle can take up to 1 000 years to break down. A per survey report around 83% of drinking water contains plastic and consuming plastic could lead to cancer, effects on hormone levels, and heart damage.

Single-use plastics, a threat to the environment

In fact, much research has been found on the plastics in the blood of newborn babies. Thus, it is evident that the excessive use of single-use plastic is causing serious damage to the environment, including the animal, marine and human life.

The most common single-use plastics found in the environment are.
in order of magnitude are plastic drinking bottles, plastic, etc.

26,000 tons plastic waste generated per day in India

Around 26,000 tons of waste plastic is generated per day in India, 10% of total waste plastic is reserved by PET plastic. However, almost 2600 tons of PET bottle waste is created every day in our country.

So, I and Aditya Dubey has filed the case in National Green Tribunal against the plastic bottling companies like – Bisleri, Railneer, Coca-cola, etc.

Finally, NGT listed our matter against plastic bottling companies

On 29th January 2020, NGT listed our matter and directed the Central Pollution Control Board to file a status report with compliance by these companies with Rule 9 PWM Rules.

CPCB told the NGT that as per provisions 9(2) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, “Primary responsibility for collection of used multi-layered plastic sachet or pouches or packaging is of producers, importers and brand owners who introduce the products in the market.”

It’s a huge victory for all who have fought against plastic waste creation by e-commerce companies.

Plastic packaging constitutes 43 percent of the total plastic waste generated in India and it is amazing that a direction is issued to manage plastic waste which is the need of the hour!

We hope in the further hearing NGT will direct to stop using PET bottles to pack water and other beverages produced by them, till they formulate and implement a scheme as required under Rule 9 of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2019 to collect and dispose of the plastic waste created by these companies.

(The views expressed in the article are the author’s own. Let Me Breathe neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)