The Clear on Plastics© campaign under the India Plastics Pact, a Confederation of Indian Industry initiative, aims to provide clear, simple, and scientifically accurate information on plastics to citizens.
Whether you are a consumer, a business, or a policymaker looking for basic information on plastics, or want to learn how to reduce plastic pollution – this webpage is your one-stop guide.
Breaks down plastics – what they are, their different types, and why it is important to segregate (separate) plastic waste at source.
Addresses commonly asked questions such as, why is ‘crush the bottle after use’ written on plastic bottles, or whether paper straws are better than plastic straws.
Brings awareness to some national and international policies related to plastic and plastic packaging.
Provides simple and practical tips on how you can reduce, reuse, and dispose of plastic waste properly to help minimise plastic pollution.
Plastics are polymers (from Greek poly for many and mer for a unit or part), which are thus made up of many identical repeating units – hundreds or thousands of them – like beads making up a necklace or a rosary. Each unit is called a monomer. For example, ethylene is a monomer and many units of ethylene, when joined, form a polymer, namely polyethylene.
The monomers themselves are typically made of carbon and hydrogen (and sometimes oxygen), collectively referred to as hydrocarbons, which can be sourced from plants or from crude oil, natural gas, or coal (fossil fuels).
Plastics are mostly made from hydrocarbons extracted from crude oil in four steps.
Plastics can be grouped into two major families.
Thermoplastics soften when heated but harden again on cooling, which makes them suited to recycling. Thermoplastics are used in packaging and consumer goods.
Thermosets retain their shape once moulded, do not soften when melted, and therefore cannot be recycled. Thermosets are used in electrical appliances and as construction materials.
Single-use plastics are designed to be used only once and thrown away after that. All disposable products fall into the category of single-use, which include plastic spoons, cups, plates, stirrers, and so on.
Such items are often used on the go and are therefore often found as
litter in cities, villages, and beaches.
To address the challenge of plastic pollution,
alternatives such as bioplastics, biodegradable plastics, and compostable
plastics have emerged in recent years. However, citizens are often confused about
such plastics because although the terms ‘bio’ and ‘compostable’, which suggest
that the plastics are ‘green’ and ‘environment-friendly’, the materials can have
the same look and feel as conventional plastics. Read more to know some important
differences between such plastics and conventional plastics.
Compostable plastics can be degraded - but only under specific conditions and over a definite time frame. Several conditions must be satisfied before using compostable plastics or switching to them from conventional plastics.
Compostable plastics should be considered as alternatives to conventional plastics only if they
(a) are certified as compostable to an international compostability standard (for instance, EN14342 or any equivalent Indian standards),
(b) leave no microplastic residue,
(c) are clearly labelled as compostable, and
(d) are used and disposed of in closed-loop or controlled systems with appropriate infrastructure available for effective treatment (hotels, malls, catering services, and airports, for example, are places that can meet these conditions).
Plastic recycling typically involves the following steps.
Plastic is a popular and versatile material with several applications, and recycling plastic offers several benefits. Recycling
A wide range of products can be made from recycled plastics including
The best case is when recycled plastics are used to make
the same product again (closed-loop recycling).
The waste that we generate at home, also known as municipal solid waste (MSW), is a mix of materials, including biodegradable waste, non-biodegradable waste, and hazardous waste.
Segregation at source refers to segregating waste at the point at which it is generated – homes, offices, parks, and malls, for example – into two separate streams: wet and dry. Waste can be segregated into many other categories too; for example, in some countries paper, metal, glass, and plastic waste is each collected separately at the household level.
Wet waste is mainly kitchen and garden waste and includes vegetable and fruit peels, leftover food, etc. and can be composted. Dry waste comprises plastic, paper, glass, and metal, all of which are recyclable.
Segregation of waste at source is the first step in effective waste management and is useful in many ways.
Segregation
Used packaging and plastic products or discarded objects are collected, segregated, and sent for recycling. The recycled materials are made into new products or used for remaking the same product.
Some plastics are
burned to produce electricity. Although this option reduces the volume of
plastic waste, it pollutes the environment.
If not managed
properly, plastics end up in landfills, where they remain intact for hundreds
of years. If streets, parks, and beaches,
for instance, are littered with plastics, they can eventually reach the ocean, harming
marine life and natural ecosystems.
Proper management of
waste is thus crucial in deciding the ultimate
fate of plastics.
Reducing means using less. Reducing plastic consumption can have several benefits.
We can reduce our consumption of plastics in many ways.
The India Plastics Pact unites stakeholders across the plastics value chain to reduce plastic waste and seeks to eliminate, by 2030, all unnecessary or problematic plastics; solve the problem through redesign and innovation; and make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
Brands and businesses can reduce the use of
plastics in many ways.
Signatories to the India Plastics Pact are committed to reducing their plastic packaging. Read our Annual Report 2022/23
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