World Environment Day: Life Is Plastic, It’s Not Fantastic

The first step to solving a problem would be to measure it. And herein begins the challenge. The country’s official estimates of annual plastic waste generation in 2021-22 range from about 4 million metric tonnes, according to the Central Pollution Control Board, to 9 million metric tonnes, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the actual figure could be around 18 million tonnes, a figure that, like the others, is already a few years old.

This wide gap isn’t just a data issue. It reflects the country’s reliance on an unregulated and invisible informal sector that collects and processes a significant share of plastic waste, without appearing in government records. But, no matter what numbers are consulted, there’s no doubt that this is a problem. 

Challenges Of The Bin And Beyond

“Everything is a challenge,” Babulal Shiradana, Director of Get Plastic Recycling, a plastic waste management company in Bengaluru that also manufactures plastic recycling equipment, told The Secretariat. Why? “Because the entire ecosystem is broken.” 

The ecosystem begins from poor segregation at the source, to inadequate collection, lack of recycling infrastructure, broken markets, and finally, the mindset. The result is that even when plastics can be recycled, they are not. 

While India’s recycling rate for PET bottles — a type of rigid plastic — is among the highest in the world at 90–95 per cent, these only make up about 30 per cent of the country’s total plastic consumption. The remaining 70 per cent — mostly flexible packaging like snack wrappers and milk pouches — often go un-recycled.

Flexible plastics are inherently difficult to recycle. Their composite layers are costly to separate, and contamination, like food residue, makes them less valuable. There’s also no viable market for recycled flexibles.

So, India’s plastic crisis is more than just a question of “recycle more”. 

“Flexible plastic is difficult to recycle and has no demand in the primary market,” Shiradana explains. This economic disincentive trickles down. “One rag picker told me: ‘If no one buys it, why should I bother collecting it?’” he says.

Infrastructure Gaps and Local Innovation

One of the biggest bottlenecks is infrastructure. “We need around 2,500 large recycling plants every year just to manage current volumes,” Shiradana estimates. “But so far, the various pollution control boards have registered only around 1,400 recyclers,” he says.

That shortfall means most plastic ends up in landfills or is openly burned. 

With recycling equipment often imported from China or Germany, Shiradana’s company chose a different path. “We decided to build recycling machines right here in India,” he says.

Get Plastic Recycling now operates out of Peenya Industrial Area in Bengaluru, one of Asia’s largest industrial zones. “You can make anything here — from pin to plane,” he says.

By making recycling machinery locally, the company hopes to cut costs, build domestic capability, and support small- and medium-sized recyclers across the country.

Policies with Promise?

The upcoming requirement for plastic manufacturers to add QR codes to plastic packaging from July 1 is an attempt to improve traceability and sorting. The barcode will include details of the material, its thickness, and the manufacturer. 

While promising, its success depends on widespread access to technologies like conveyor belt scanners and NIR (Near Infrared) systems — which few Indian recyclers currently have.

To bridge the infrastructure gap, experts suggest plastic parks. These are industrial zones tailored to recycling enterprises, complete with shared facilities like effluent treatment plants, water access, and common machinery. It is expected that if the government invests in such initiatives, private players will follow. 

But policy and infrastructure alone won’t solve the crisis. Mindset matters too. Waste work remains stigmatised, and segregation at source is not as common as it should be. 

As India marks another World Environment Day, the message is clear: recycling isn’t just about bins and bottles. It’s about markets, mindsets, and meaningful policy.