Plastic Waste – Solutions and Remedies

Plastics are low-molecular-weight organic polymers that are non-degradable in the natural environment. They are used in an enormous range of items -- cars, bulletproof vests, toys, hospital equipment, carry bags, and food containers among them. Packaging materials used across supermarkets, retail outlets, manufacturing industries, households, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and transport companies are major contributors to plastic waste generation, and plastic waste constitutes a major share of overall municipal solid waste. The chapter's recommended remedy is the '4R' mantra -- Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle -- presented as the best available approach to plastic waste pollution: refusing unnecessary plastic in the first place, reducing overall consumption, reusing items rather than discarding them after one use, and recycling material that can no longer be reused. Tamil Nadu offers a real, concrete example of this policy in action: …