The prestigious scientific journal Nature recently published an important environmental science paper highlighting the severity of plastic waste issues in India. As the largest emitter of plastic waste globally, India accounts for nearly 20% of the world's plastic emissions.
The research team from the University of Leeds in the UK created a comprehensive inventory of large plastic pollution at the urban scale, covering 50,702 cities worldwide, and conducted an in-depth analysis of the distribution and fate of plastic pollution.
According to the study, approximately 52.1 million tons of large plastic are released into the environment each year, with 57% being disposed of through open burning and 43% remaining as unburned fragments. The research indicates that discarded waste is the primary source of plastic pollution in the Global North, while uncollected waste is particularly prominent in the Global South.
Specifically, India generates about 10.2 million tons of plastic waste annually, with the vast majority being dumped in open environments, and only a tiny fraction reaching landfills. The study shows that the ratio of open plastic dumps to sanitary landfills in India is as high as 10:1, indicating a severe challenge in tackling plastic pollution.
It is important to note that the research data may be underestimated, as official statistics do not account for waste management in rural areas or uncollected plastic waste that is burned in the open.
In May of this year, the Supreme Court of India expressed serious concern over the 3,800 tons of untreated solid waste generated daily in the Delhi region, stating that this directly impacts citizens' right to live in a clean environment. A total of 5,600 tons of solid waste generated daily in Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad cannot be properly managed, and there is a lack of effective treatment plans.
According to a statement from the central government of India, Delhi's current waste processing capacity cannot cope with the daily generation of tens of thousands of tons of waste, and significant improvements are not expected until 2027.
Recently, a video posted on social media by the Danish Ambassador to India, Freddy Svane, drew public attention to the sanitation conditions in Delhi, showing piles of garbage along the dirt road outside the embassy. Although the municipal government subsequently took cleaning measures, this incident further highlighted the enormous challenges India faces in managing plastic waste.