Context: The threat posed by plastic waste to the environment is well established. The corona pandemic has led to an increase in plastic waste. This article suggests some ways to deal with the issue.
Background

• Dependence: The hyper-hygienic way of life has become the increased dependence on non-recyclable items such as plastic-lined masks, gloves, hand sanitizer bottles and other PPE kits which has increased SUP waste.
• There has also been a steep increase in day-to-day items such as plastic bags and delivery packaging.
• Plastic waste: According to a report of Mckinsey, we generate 350 million tonnes of plastic waste globally in a year of which only 16 % is recycled.
• Post COVID-19: Today, the WHO estimates that the planet is using about 89 million masks and 16 million gloves each month whose waste is much higher than that estimated in the McKinsey report.
• Stark picture: The Guardian recently reported that there are possibly more masks than jellyfish in the oceans today.

Single-use plastic (SUP)

• They are disposable plastics meant for use-and-throw.
• These comprise polythene bags, plastic drinking bottles, plastic bottle caps, food wrappers, plastic sachets, plastic wrappers, straws, stirrers and Styrofoam cups or plates.

Handling of Plastic pollution
Pre-coronavirus time: Different nations had their own programmes to handle plastic waste:

• In countries such as Canada and the US, recycling of plastic is classified as essential.
• In India, we have the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, which were updated and amended in 2018. In Swachhata Hi Seva campaign in 2019, people from all walks of life collected plastic waste from their surroundings and disposed of it suitably with the help of the local authorities.

Corona time:

• The national as well as the global momentum for plastic waste management has been seriously disrupted.
• Thailand had planned to slash plastic waste completely in 2020. Now it expects to see such waste rise by as much as 30%.
• In Singapore, the Bring Your Own (BYO) movement was started in 2017 where consumers were urged to bring their own utensils to restaurants in the effort to reuse and recycle. This has received a blow with global giants such as Starbucks doing away with their “Bring Your Own Cups” policy due to the pandemic.

How to deal with the SUP in current circumstances?
Effective Handling: It is important to understand the distinction between plastics and SUP so that we may change our lifestyles to balance our need for plastic with effectively managing its waste.
Economic opportunity

• We require new business models which are designed for sustainability.
• In Uganda, they are melting plastic waste to make face shields for selling.
• In Singapore, start-ups are using stainless steel cups and bamboo boxes which can be returned and reused after being washed and sanitized.

By Shifting consumers behaviour

• We need consumers to care about their role in the plastic waste value chain by using their power to change the existing unsustainable approach.
• For example- In rural India which have declared themselves open defecation free (ODF), village communities across the country are now starting to plan for setting up waste collection and segregation systems with material recovery facilities at the block- level under phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
• Though the plastic-made items used to protect ourselves against the coronavirus are necessary but these are essential short-term needs for health, sanitation and other frontline workers as preventive measures against the coronavirus.

Road Ahead

• The options are all around us but true change is possible only when each one of us takes responsibility for the environment around us and takes necessary steps to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Remove, or dispose of plastic waste safely and effectively.