Sustainability is not a war on plastic

Today everybody is talking about finding alternatives to plastic. But there is little alignment on what is the problem that we are trying to solve. Before we talk about replacing plastics, we need to decide whether we are trying to tackle only plastic litter or overall waste management or manage carbon emissions.

It doesn’t have to be an either — or choice, but we need to be clear. India’s waste is predominantly organic, and entire chain of segregation, collection, aggregation and treatment has to work for effective waste management. By focusing only on plastic, there is a risk of making wrong choices since alternative packaging solutions such as cardboard, glass, metal and most bio-plastics may have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. So it may become trading litter for GHG.

This was a pertinent question that Wilma Rodrigues, founder of Saahas Zero Waste raised (you can find full interview here) — why do we discuss only plastic in conversations. What about paper, glass and metal? Wilma must know these things since she has been in the space of waste management since year 2000 when first set of rules for Municipal Solid Waste came out. Her NGO, Saahas began working since then to bring a change in consumption pattern of plastic packaging.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR )— Step in right direction

Unlike CSR regulations, EPR is a company sustainability practice and does many goods. For producers, it signals a fundamental shift and they need to own the financial, physical and also information responsibility of pollution control. Besides, it formalizes waste management sector by setting up financial cost standards and environmental standards.

But it takes more than an umbrella regulation to achieve the objectives. There has been strengthening of regulations for sometime. Lead acid batteries rule have existed since year 2000 and plastic waste rules were initially framed in 2011. Since Swachh Bharat Mission, there is also increased awareness and segregation and collection has improved. But still the changes have been slow on the ground.

One doesn’t need to hate plastic to eliminate waste

The mission is to eliminate waste, not plastic. Plastic is a wonder material and there is a reason it exists everywhere. There is no other material today that can match the functionality, versatility and affordability of plastic. The companies are also not wedded to using plastic, they just want to use material that would help them meet consumer demand.

The issue is social behavior and lack of collective ownership to manage the plastic after use. This is where EPR regulations provide a framework. As enablers, there is emergence of companies like Saahas Zero Waste that now operate in more than two dozen cities and can help companies with their EPR compliance. They work with a large number of tech parks, apartment complexes, residences, industrial premises and commercial establishments to achieve 95% waste recovery and stay compliant with MSW rules as well as labor laws. At the same time, they can help companies achieve EPR compliance and bring back their packaging and electronic waste for recycling.

It is a solvable problem

While the problem of waste appears gigantic, it is a solvable problem. We have demonstrated that collective will can be harnessed with decisive actions and coming together to solve large problems. It doesn’t have to stay as a case of tragedy of the commons, but rather can be converted into a public good with collective ownership.