Introduction

Single-Use Plastics-

Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.

Plastic Pollution – A global scenario-

Plastic pollution (essentially caused by single-use plastics) has reached alarming proportions. One can see plastic pollution almost everywhere – land, rivers, and oceans. According to a recent estimate, as published in the report of UN Environment titled “Single-Use Plastics – A Roadmap for Sustainability”, released on 5th June, 2018(World Environment Day), 79% of the plastic waste ever produced now sits in landfills, dumps or in the environment, while about 12% has been incinerated and only about 9% has been recycled. The report also mentions that about 9 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced in the world so far. It means that about 7 to 8 billion tonnes of plastic waste now sit in landfills, dumps or in the environment. If current consumption patterns and waste management practices do not improve, by 2050 there will be about 12 billion tons of plastic litter in landfills and the natural environment. Most of the plastics, as we know, are not biodegradable and will take thousands of years to decompose in the environment. The above report further states, “what makes plastic so convenient in our day-to-day lives – it’s cheap – also makes it ubiquitous, resulting in one of our planet’s greatest environmental challenges. Our oceans have been used as a dumping ground, choking marine life and transforming some marine areas into a plastic soup. In cities around the world, plastic waste clogs drains, causing floods and breeding disease. Consumed by livestock, it also finds its way into the food chain.”