SBM-Urban 2.0 Organizes an Episode of Swachh Talks on 'Managing Plastic Waste'

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 hosted the fourth edition of Swachh Talks, the national peer learning webinar series, on the topic of 'Managing Plastic Waste' on July 29, 2022.

The goal of this Swachh Talks episode was to nudge conversations about the importance of effectively managing plastic waste in order to achieve the Mission's goal of creating 'Garbage Free Cities.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasised the importance of citizens banding together to combat plastic pollution and adopt Swachhata as a way of life while speaking to the nation through his 'Mann Ki Baat' series.

Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary and National Mission Director, Swachh Bharat Mission Urban, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, emphasised India's role as an emerging global leader in sustainable sanitation and waste management, and contextualized the progress being made across cities. "India is crucially emerging as a strong voice in climate and environmental matters," she said.

Another landmark campaign that advocates for the same is the Prime Minister's recently launched Lifestyle for Environment Movement (LiFE). The LiFE Movement is all about making the right choices, and this is also the Mission's guiding philosophy. The ban on single-use plastics (SUP) is a watershed moment in the transition to eco-friendly, nature-friendly lifestyles. We are also seeing unprecedented mass movements and jan andolan to create awareness regarding the same. This is just the beginning.

Dr. Satyendra Kumar, Director of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change spoke about the 2016 Plastic Waste Management Rules, their amendments, and the revised Extended Producers Responsibility framework. He emphasized that the SUP items that will be banned in July 2022 have a "high littering potential and low utility." According to him, the need of the hour is to find sustainable, affordable, and easily accessible alternatives to plastic.

Anindita Mitra, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, spoke about Chandigarh Municipal Corporation's unique initiatives to enforce the ban on single-use plastics. The Union Territory implemented initiatives such as 'Back to Basics' to promote sustainable alternatives to SUPs, 'Har Gaadi Bin-Har Gaadi Bag' to prevent littering on roads and highways, and 'Swachhata Ki Pathshala' to mobilize youth to align with the Mission's goals.

The State Mission Directorate, on the other hand, addressed the availability and distribution of SUPs by levying fines on retailers, incentivizing market associations to go plastic-free, and ensuring adequate availability of eco-friendly bags made of alternative materials. Other Extensive campaigning and awareness activities, such as 'Selfie with Bottle' to promote steel and glass bottles over plastic bottles, and public street plays, have all contributed to the ban's success in Chandigarh.

The Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban 2.0 is dedicated to fostering startups in the sanitation and waste management industries. Two of these startups, which are working to reduce plastic waste, were invited to the fourth episode of Swachh Talks.

Arpit Dhupar, CEO and Co-Founder of Dharaksha Ecosolutions Pvt. Ltd., spoke about his startup's packaging product, which is biodegradable and decomposes in 60 days, addressing the problem of air pollution and plastic pollution. He described how the packaging material was created using stubble waste and mycelium, a type of fungi. He emphasized that the product passed 'stress and drop tests' performed by their industry partners.

The environmental, economic, and social impacts of packaging materials demonstrate that alternatives to plastic are not only feasible but also profitable and scalable.

The plastic waste management industry is heavily reliant on the informal sector. Mr. Akash Shetti of Plastics for Change shared his industry insights. The organization enables global brands to source high-quality recycled plastic from supply chains that are fair-trade verified and ocean-bound plastic certified.

Plastics for Change is also concerned with the well-being of the informal sector, which is involved in the collection, separation, and recycling of plastic waste. The informal recycling sector does not usually have a consistent stable income or job security. Plastics for Change works to ensure that they receive a consistent fair price, as well as enabling the informal sector by providing training in banking, insurance, and other important financial matters.