The material question

N WORLD ENVIRONMENT Day this year, hundreds—if not thousands—of events were organised across India to address plastic pollution, echoing the day's official theme: "Beat Plastic Pollution".

- CHANDRA BHUSHAN

A quick scan of social media reveals that the primary focus of these events was on eliminating polythene bags, reducing littering, improving collection and segregation, and promoting recycling and reuse.

But the sobering reality is this: Despite decades of effort, globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, 50% ends up in landfills, 19% is incinerated, and the remaining 22% is either littered or openly burnt—polluting land, water, and air. Even in advanced economies, plastics largely end up in landfills or incinerators—very little is actually recycled.

In India, where plastic consumption is surging, the challenge is particularly acute due to weak waste management infrastructure. While the plastic recycling rate is relatively high—about 40%—much of this is downcycling into low-value products that re-enter the waste stream relatively quickly. As a result, India is now considered the world's top producer of unmanaged plastic waste. So, can we truly "beat" plastic pollution by just improving recycling and reuse?

First, it is important to understand the profound disconnect between the inherent nature of plastic and the products manufactured from it. Plastic is, quite literally, a "forever material". It can take decades to centuries to decompose, and even then, it never truly disappears. Instead, it fragments into progressively smaller pieces, ultimately becoming microplastics—insidious particles now linked to serious health ailments, including cancer. Yet, this "forever material" is predominantly used for short-life products—items designed to be used and discarded within days. These are what we commonly refer to as single-use plastics (SUPs), used mostly for packaging.