Plastic Waste Management

Increasing amounts of plastic waste are being generated following the rapid rate of urbanization. Today, there is a staggering demand for plastic products with the rising affluence and public entrancement of western
consumerism. However, this expansion of plastic production and consumption is having a significant impact both visibly and invisibly on the environment and society.
The problems with plastic waste may seem surprising in a country where traditional materials fulfilling the current role of plastics have existed. The winning factor for plastics is its functional superiority (convenience)
and cost effectiveness. The problem becomes very visible when there is no effective care of the litter.
Plastic waste has a value, and is consequently taken care of by the informal recycling sector. Waste material that has a value is collected by the rag pickers and sold to recyclers. Despite the attempts from the formal
and the informal sector, significant quantities of the plastic waste remain uncollected. Waste management is also constrained by the lack of public awareness and low municipal budgets in the country. Even when
budgets are adequate for collection, safe disposal remains a major problem.
Managing waste from packaging has become increasingly difficult in developed and developing countries. As a result of the growing amounts of packaging material in the municipal waste, an increasing number of
developed countries are in the process of identifying policy options that can reduce the presence of packaging in the waste.

Plastics Waste Management click here to view the PDF