Plastic Waste to Wealth Revolution

• 04 Apr 2025

This editorial is based on “Scientifically Speaking: How bacteria might help solve our plastic problem” which was published in The Hindu on 07/05/2024. The article brings into the picture the environmental threat of plastics and highlights a breakthrough where scientists engineered E. coli to produce a strong, biodegradable alternative—an innovation India must adopt.

For Prelims: Plastics, SDG 12, Dioxins and furans, Plastic Waste Management Rules, Multi-layered plastics, Smart Cities Mission, Microplastics, Mission LiFE framework, Smart Cities Mission, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission.  

For Mains: Key Emerging Advancements in Plastic Recycling, Key Issues Associated with Plastic Management in India. 

Plastics have revolutionized modern life but now pose a severe environmental challenge, persisting in our ecosystems for centuries and contributing to climate change. Scientists at Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have engineered E. coli bacteria to produce a promising biodegradable plastic alternative that combines nylon's strength with the breakdown potential of polyesters. India needs to work hard to adopt and develop such innovative solutions to address its growing plastic waste crisis.

What are the Key Emerging Advancements in Plastic Recycling?  

• Bioengineered Microbial Plastics: Using synthetic biology, scientists are engineering microbes like E. coli to produce biodegradable plastics from renewable plant-based sources like glucose.  
  • These "bio-plastics" (e.g., Kerala’s eco-friendly water bottles made from potato starch based material) are designed for easier natural decomposition, potentially replacing petroleum-based plastics. It marks a shift from linear production to circular, biologically integrated economies. 
  • In 2025, Korea’s KAIST researchers developed microbial plastic with amino acids, combining nylon’s strength with biodegradability. 
  • Also, researchers in Japan have designed a revolutionary biodegradable plastic that dissolves in seawater.  
    • The material of this plastic is also strong and can be adjusted to fit various uses such as packaging materials to medical devices 
• Fair Trade Plastic Recycling (Socially Inclusive Models): Innovative models like Plastics For Change promote ethical recycling by integrating informal workers into formal systems with fair pay and traceable supply chains.  
  • These models address both environmental concerns and social equity by formalizing and upgrading the informal sector. 
  • Plastics For Change diverts plastic from oceans/landfills and supports waste-picker livelihoods, promoting circular economy and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption). 
• Chemical Recycling (Advanced Depolymerization): Unlike mechanical recycling, which downcycles plastics, chemical recycling breaks polymers back into monomers for reuse in high-quality applications.  
  • This allows even low-grade or contaminated plastics to be recycled effectively, closing the loop. 
  • Companies like Pyrowave and Carbios are leading this globally. 
• AI-Driven Waste Sorting Systems: Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, automated sorting systems can identify and segregate different types of plastics with high precision.  
  • This reduces contamination and improves the efficiency of recycling processes, especially in urban MRFs. 
  • Recykal and NEPRA in India are pioneering smart sorting systems; global players like AMP Robotics are deploying AI for real-time segregation. 
• Plastic-to-Fuel (Pyrolysis Technology): Pyrolysis converts plastic waste into fuel oils or industrial chemicals under high heat and absence of oxygen.  
  • Though still debated environmentally, it offers a way to handle non-recyclable plastic in waste-to-energy schemes. 
  • India’s GAIL and IIT Delhi have piloted pyrolysis units. IIT Delhi has also successfully produced diesel from single-use plastic 
• Deposit Refund Systems (DRS) for Packaging Waste: DRS incentivizes consumers to return used plastic containers (bottles, milk pouches) in exchange for refunds or discounts.  
  • It helps recover high-quality recyclable plastics and encourages behavior change at the consumer level. 
  • Germany's system recovers 98% of plastic bottles using this approach. 
• Plastic Roads and Infrastructure: Plastic waste is repurposed as a binder in bitumen mix to construct roads, providing durability and reuse in civil infrastructure. 
  • This reduces waste load and enhances road quality, especially in high-rainfall regions. 
  • More than 3 lakh kilometres of roads in India have been converted into plastic tar roads, including the roads at the border. 
    

What are the Key Issues Associated with Plastic Management in India?  

• Ineffective Waste Collection and Underreported Data: Despite claims of high waste collection coverage, a large volume of plastic remains uncollected, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.  
  • This results in open dumping and mismanagement which severely undermines formal management systems. 
  • India's official waste collection is cited at 95%, but researches suggest actual collection is around 81%. 
    • The discrepancy between official and actual collection rates creates a policy-blind spot. 
• Open Burning and Toxic Pollution: The widespread practice of open burning of plastic waste contributes significantly to air pollution and public health hazards.  
  • It releases highly toxic chemicals such as dioxins and furans, worsening India’s already critical air quality scenario. 
  • This is especially prevalent in urban slums and rural areas due to lack of safe disposal alternatives.  
    • India burns 5.8 million tonnes of plastic waste and releases another 3.5 million tonnes into the environment each year, highlighting the gravity of the issue.  
• Dominance of Single-Use Plastics Despite Ban: Regulatory efforts like the 2022 ban on select single-use plastics have had minimal success due to poor enforcement and cheap availability.  
  • These plastics still dominate daily consumption patterns, from packaging to cutlery. Without viable and affordable alternatives, compliance remains weak. 
  • For instance, 43% of India’s plastic waste is still composed of single-use items, and these continue to be sold widely despite the 2022 ban. 
• Weak Enforcement of EPR and Policy Frameworks: India’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime lacks effective monitoring and accountability.  
  • Smaller manufacturers often escape compliance, and the absence of centralized tracking results in fragmented execution.  
  • Regulations like Plastic Waste Management Rules (2016, 2021, 2024) exist more on paper than practice.  
  • Despite mandatory EPR, only 60% of plastic waste is recycled (largely by informal sectors), and multi-layered plastics (MLPs) remain hard to regulate 
• Lack of Infrastructure for Segregation and Processing: India’s municipal solid waste infrastructure is underprepared to handle complex plastic types, especially non-recyclables.  
  • Absence of source segregation and inadequate MRFs (Material Recovery Facilities) lead to dumping or incineration. Investment in waste processing tech is minimal. 
  • For instance, 77% of urban waste is dumped untreated into landfills; sanitary landfills are outnumbered 10:1 by uncontrolled dump sites (Nature, 2024). 
• Environmental and Health Hazards from Microplastics: Plastic waste is now breaking down into microplastics and entering food, water, and soil systems, posing a new-age health crisis.  
  • Agricultural and water systems are increasingly contaminated, with long-term implications on food security and human health.  
  • For instance, Microplastics are found in 83% of Indian tap water samples, and studies confirm their presence in agricultural soils via wastewater sludge. 
    • The impact of microplastic on marine biota is an issue of concern as it leads to the entanglement and ingestion which can be lethal to marine life. 
• Challenges in Adoption of Sustainable Alternatives: Eco-friendly alternatives like biodegradable plastics, plant-based packaging, jute bags and cloth bags are often expensive, unavailable, or lack scalability.  
  • Small businesses and vendors struggle to transition due to cost constraints. Additionally, there is inadequate R&D investment in developing cost-effective, durable, and scalable substitutes for conventional plastics. 
  • Due to lack of availability of cheap alternatives, e-commerce plastic packaging market size still stands at $23-34 billion as of 2023.  
    • Food delivery sector is another big contributor, generating approximately 3,50,000 tonnes of single-use plastic waste annually. 

What Measures can India Adopt for Enhanced Plastic Management? 

• Decentralized Waste Management through Urban Local Bodies: Empowering ULBs with technical training and financial resources can help implement ward-level waste segregation, collection, and processing.  
  • This decentralization enables area-specific innovations and enhances accountability. It can be operationalized via convergence with the 15th Finance Commission Grants and Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0.  
    • Strengthening the capacity of municipal staff and promoting citizen participation will ensure local ownership. 
• Enforceable and Digitally Tracked Extended Producer Responsibility: Strengthening EPR with digital platforms to trace plastic use, recovery, and recycling can ensure producers are held accountable.  
  • A centralized tracking mechanism using QR codes or blockchain-based traceability systems should be deployed.  
  • Integration with Digital India and the National Dashboard for EPR Compliance can create transparency and ease audits. Third-party audits and penalties for non-compliance can reinforce enforcement. 
• Formalization of Informal Waste Sector: Recognizing and integrating waste pickers into formal recycling chains through cooperatives or SHGs will improve collection efficiency and livelihoods.  
  • Formalization should include access to social security (Indore Model), training, and safety gear. Linking this effort with Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) can ensure dignity and upward mobility. 
  • Local governance bodies can help identify and register workers. 
• Strict Enforcement of Ban with Parallel Eco-Alternative Ecosystem: Policy bans on single-use plastics must be accompanied by incentivizing the production and distribution of affordable biodegradable alternatives.  
  • The government should provide MSMEs with R&D and marketing support to scale eco-friendly packaging.  
  • Linking Start-Up India, MSME Ministry, and KVIC can create a full value chain for green alternatives. This dual-track approach ensures both restriction and substitution. 
• Incentivized Source Segregation at Household Level: Households should be rewarded through rebates, discounts, or utility bill credits for consistent waste segregation.  
  • Urban bodies can develop reward-linked dashboards for compliant societies.  
  • Integrating Behavioral Insights Unit (NITI Aayog) and SBM-Urban 2.0 nudging campaigns can drive adoption. Tech-based gamification of segregation practices can build a culture of responsible waste behavior. 
• Strengthening Infrastructure for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs): Establishing zonal-level MRFs equipped with automated segregation technology can vastly improve recycling efficiency.  
  • These facilities should be built on public-private partnership models and tied into smart city projects.  
  • Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT 2.0 can co-fund such infrastructure. Training ULBs in operating these efficiently is crucial for long-term sustainability. 
• Localized Plastic Action Plans at District Level: Each district should develop its own Plastic Waste Management Action Plan tailored to its volume, geography, and infrastructure.  
  • These plans must be made mandatory under District Environment Plans (DEPs) overseen by State Pollution Control Boards.  
  • Integrating them with State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) will align plastic management with broader sustainability goals. 
• Circular Economy Innovation Hubs: Establish innovation clusters focused on circular economy solutions, with support for startups, research institutions, and recyclers. These hubs can drive R&D on biodegradable materials, upcycling technologies, and scalable recycling models.  
  • Ministries like MoEFCC, DST, and MSME can co-create these under the Mission LiFE framework. Local industrial associations can help pilot and scale emerging solutions. 

Conclusion:  

Innovative plastic recycling technologies are crucial for tackling India's mounting plastic waste crisis while fostering a circular economy. Solutions like bioengineered plastics, AI-driven waste sorting, and advanced chemical recycling align with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by promoting sustainable waste management.  

Drishti Mains Question:

Discuss the significance of innovative plastic recycling technologies in addressing India's plastic waste crisis. Highlight key advancements and challenges in their large-scale adoption.

 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)   

Prelims

Q.1 In India, ‘extend producer responsibility’ was introduced as an important feature in which of the following? (2019) 

(a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 

(b) The Recycled Plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999 

(c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 

(d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011 

Ans: (c)

Q2. How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)? (2018)  

1. The NGT has been established by an Act whereas the CPCB has been created by an executive order of the Government.   
2. The NGT provides environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts whereas the CPCB promotes cleanliness of streams and wells, and aims to improve the quality of air in the country.   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Q3. Why is there a great concern about the ‘microbeads’ that are released into environment? (2019)

(a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems. 

(b) They are considered to cause skin cancer in children. 

(c) They are small enough to be absorbed by crop plants in irrigated fields. 

(d) They are often found to be used as food adulterants. 

Ans: (a)

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Mains  

Q: What are the impediments in disposing the huge quantities of discarded solid waste which are continuously being generated? How do we remove safely the toxic wastes that have been accumulating in our a habitable environment? (2018)