Use of single-use plastic needs to be minimised, but the larger problem also needs to be attended to | The Indian Express

Use of single-use plastic needs to be minimised, but the larger problem also needs to be attended to | The Indian Express

Written by Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Almitra Patel |Updated: October 30, 2019 10:03:32 am

The writer is chairperson of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and former chairperson of the high-powered expert committee on urban infrastructure and services.

Patel is member, Supreme Court committee on solid waste management

Use of single-use plastic needs to be minimised, but the larger problem also needs to be attended to

Single-use plastic is only part of what is truly a massive challenge, and that is the management of all kinds of plastic waste.

Single-use plastic is only part of what is truly a massive challenge, and that is the management of all kinds of plastic waste. (Illustration: C R Sasikumar)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a dramatic announcement on August 15, 2019, that India would eliminate single-use plastics by 2022. This generated a lot of speculation on whether a ban on single-use plastics was in the offing. Then came another statement on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, by the PM that single-use plastics (SUPs) will be phased out by 2022, and officials indicated that states will play a major role in ensuring this happens.