Surge In Single Use Plastic
Source : Indian Express
GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Why in News?

Issues of Surge In Single Use Plastic came in a report comes from researchers led by Minderoo, a nonprofit organization based in Australia that advocates for cleaner oceans, along with academics at the University of Oxford and the Stockholm Environment Institute.

• It was reviewed by KPMG, the accounting firm.

Key Facts

• The report cited a number of reason for the Surge In Single Use Plastic and its impact.
• Throwaway plastic that holds our takeout food and wraps our dry cleaning is widely seen as one of the world’s biggest environmental hazards.
• It is thrown away and can leads to
  • Clogging waterways
  • Choking animals
  • Burned that leads to sending hazardous fumes into the air
• In the next five years alone, production capacity is forecast to grow by 30%.
• Governments are also big stakeholders in this industry.
  • About 40% of the largest single-use plastic makers are partly owned by governments, including China and Saudi Arabia.
• How much Single use plastic accumulated year
  • The average American uses and throws away 110 pounds, or roughly 50 kilograms, of single-use plastic every year.
  • Only Australians currently match U.S. scales of waste.
  • The average Chinese person uses only about a third as much as an American.
  • The average Indian uses less than one-twelfth.

What is the challenge for reduction ?

• Single-use plastic has been a very good business, and that’s projected to continue.
• Efforts focused on curtailing the production of single-use plastic have been limited so far.
• The economics favour more plastic production.
• The recycling of the plastic done in small pace.
  • Only about 8% of plastic gets recycled in the United States.

Need of the Hour

• Increasing the efficacy of recycling and supporting improvements in plastic waste recovery.
• The decision by State and municipal governments have had success in banning certain items like plastic grocery bags, foam cups and drinking straws.
• Also decision by European Union to issue a directive calling for consumer brands to use at least 30% recycled content in plastic bottles by 2025.

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