Around 240 tonnes of plastic waste gets dumped in India's national capital every day, says report
A landfill site in New Delhi.
India's national capital New Delhi has been currently generating more than 1,100 tonnes of plastic waste every day, but only around 870 tonnes per day (TPD) is being managed or recycled, which leaves a gap of 242 TPD oraround 22 per cent of the plastic waste load of Delhi, which finally either reaches the drains or ends up in landfills or contaminates the River Yamuna, as per the latest data.
A target of June 2024 has been set by the national capital to bridge this gap completely.Experts stated thatofficials may have to work much harder, especially considering that it was not able to implement the ban on 19 single-use plastic (SUP) items successfully.
Municipal bodies shared data during their meeting held with the high-level solid waste monitoring committee, as per which the current plastic waste generation figure of the national capital stood at 1,113.25 TPD, and only 871.25 TPD is being processed, leaving a gap of 242 TPD which needs immediate attention.
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The committee was appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and is headed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Programme director of the municipal solid waste sector at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Atin Biswas said that waste segregation is the base for any city which is aiming to find a solution to its waste problem.
“At present, even this figure of 78 per centof plastic being recycled seems fairly high, as Delhi is not segregating its waste like other cities. Only when that is being done, can waste be effectively separated. Until we achieve segregation at source, this target of June 2024 appears highly unlikely,” Biswas stated.
Capital's unfulfilled single-use plastic (SUP) goals
Meanwhile, the national capital is lagging behind its single-use plastic (SUP) goals. In Delhi, as well as other states and union territories, 19 SUP items were banned from July 1, 2022, onwards, according to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021 which was issued on August 12, 2021.
Even though a ban was imposed, several items mentioned in the list are still commonly found in the markets of the city.
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Price difference substantial
Fruit juice Bhiku Ram is still using plastic straws and plastic spoons at his shop. He said that he tried to use the alternatives, however, the price difference remained substantial. “Plastic is still easily available and agencies also are not too keen on enforcing such a ban,” Ram stated.
NGO Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) founder and director Ashish Jain said, “Agencies are finally beginning to act on plastic pollution, but it still needs a change in the mindset of consumers too. For instance, plastic items like plastic furniture have several alternatives, but plastic ones still exist in the market. We need to stop giving consumers such options.”
Plans to clear three dumpsites of capital
Meanwhile, the government of Delhi had earlier announced the ambitious project of clearing all three dumpsites in the national capital.
As per their set goals, the Okhla dumpsite should be cleared by December 2023, Bhalswa by March 2024 and Ghazipur by December 2024. Cumulatively, the three dumpsites are covering an area of 200 acres, which carries around 28 million tonnes of legacy waste.
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