India’s Plastic Problem in Focus as World Environment Day 2025 Rings Alarm
Despite years of regulation, India’s plastic waste crisis worsens as microplastics invade bloodstreams, oceans, and food chains
June 5, New Delhi — World Environment Day 2025 arrives today with a message that’s neither new nor ignorable: “Beat Plastic Pollution.” For India, where the sight of plastic-strewn roadsides, clogged drains, and choked riverbeds remains disturbingly common, the message cuts particularly close.
Plastic waste is everywhere — under flyovers, in forests, floating through rivers. The data backs it up. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the country generated over 9 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2023, a figure that continues to rise despite high-decibel bans and clean-up campaigns.
The View from the Ground
On the streets of Jaipur’s Mansarovar area, a morning cleanup effort was underway this week, but volunteers said most of the waste they collected was single-use plastic. “This has become normal,” said one local coordinator. “We fill bags with plastic in the morning, and by evening the trash is back.”
Similar observations have emerged from dozens of cities across India. Markets, temples, bus stands — plastic wraps the country’s daily life like an unwanted second skin.
Enforcement Fatigue
India officially banned a range of single-use plastics in mid-2022 — earbuds, cutlery, straws, even packaging films under 75 microns. But enforcement has proved inconsistent. In Tier-II and Tier-III cities, these products are still widely available.
According to a 2024 audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), fewer than 20% of municipal bodies have a documented enforcement mechanism for plastic regulation. Many local officials admit they are understaffed and often unaware of the latest compliance requirements.
In small towns like Bhiwadi or Rohtak, vendors say they’re willing to stop using plastic but alternatives are expensive or unavailable. “Paper bags tear too fast, and cloth is too costly for our margins,” said a kirana store owner in Kurukshetra.
Microplastics in the Bloodstream
While visible plastic is easy to spot, the invisible kind might be even more dangerous. A March 2025 study conducted jointly by AIIMS and IIT Delhi found microplastics in 21 out of 36 blood samples collected from healthy adults in urban areas.
The findings included traces of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene — common materials used in food packaging. The researchers noted that long-term health effects are still being studied, but early signs point to inflammation, hormonal disruption, and potential reproductive harm.
Marine and Riverine Fallout
Plastic’s journey doesn’t end in dustbins or drains. In Gujarat’s Porbandar and Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam, fishermen say the sea is now harder to fish than to clean.
“We find plastic ropes, wrappers, shampoo sachets — sometimes more of that than fish,” said P. Rajasekaran, who has fished the Bay of Bengal for 18 years. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) estimates that Indian coastal waters now hold close to 2,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre.
Rivers are no better. A 2024 report by IIT Kanpur on the Ganga basin found plastic fragments in every water sample taken across five states — even in hill towns with no local plastic industry.
Recycling: A Double-Edged Sword
India often gets credit for recycling up to 60% of its plastic waste, but that figure is misleading. Most of this happens informally, through an unregulated workforce of ragpickers, scrap dealers, and aggregators who sort and resell plastic with little to no safety gear.
In Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill, 19-year-old Arun said he handles nearly 50 kg of plastic daily. “I don’t wear gloves. I can’t afford them,” he said. “If I don’t work, I don’t eat.”
Organizations like SWaCH in Pune and Hasiru Dala in Bengaluru are attempting to formalize this work — offering gloves, identity cards, and fair wages. But these efforts, while effective locally, cover only a small fraction of the millions working in India’s informal waste economy.
What the Government Is Trying
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) says it’s not unaware of the gaps. In April 2025, the ministry rolled out updated guidelines to track Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance through a digital platform.
According to ministry officials, the new portal will use blockchain technology to record the collection and recycling of plastic waste. Manufacturers who fail to meet targets will face penalties, though details are still being worked out.
A senior official, who asked not to be named, said the ministry is also piloting AI-based monitoring systems in Bengaluru and Hyderabad to detect illegal stockpiles of banned plastics via drone footage and infrared scanning.
International Examples India Can Watch
Globally, several countries have moved more decisively. Rwanda banned plastic bags back in 2008 and has achieved near-complete elimination. The EU phased out most single-use plastics in 2021 and is now focusing on compostable alternatives.
South Korea, which is hosting this year’s World Environment Day, has integrated a pay-as-you-throw model, where households are charged based on the weight and type of waste they discard. Compliance is over 95%.
According to UNEP, the world produces over 430 million tonnes of plastic each year, and two-thirds of that is single-use. The agency is pushing for a binding global treaty on plastics, which may be finalized later this year.
What Citizens Can Do
Experts agree: government policy alone can’t solve this. Individuals must cut back too.
Small changes matter:
- Carrying your own cloth bag and steel bottle
- Saying no to plastic-wrapped cutlery in food deliveries
- Sorting your dry and wet waste at home
- Supporting local shops that use compostable packaging
Even posting about these practices on social media can push others to rethink habits. Schools, colleges, and RWAs across Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kochi are marking this year’s Environment Day with segregation drives, poster competitions, and awareness walks.
The Larger Question
Plastic pollution is not just about trash. It’s about visibility — of what’s broken, and what’s avoidable. In India, the story of plastic is not one of lack of rules, but lack of follow-through. And as World Environment Day 2025 passes with familiar banners and speeches, the real work must happen quietly — in homes, on streets, and through choices.
The message is simple. Less plastic, more future.
Sources: CPCB, MoEFCC, UNEP, AIIMS-IIT Delhi Study 2025, IIT Kanpur, FICCI, SWaCH Pune, Hasiru Dala Bengaluru, INCOIS, local interviews (Delhi, Pune, Kurukshetra, Nagapattinam, Porbandar), CAG Audit 2024.
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Raghav Mishra is a Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald, specializing in daily coverage of career development and education. A student at BHU, Raghav brings a practical perspective to his reporting, exploring academic insights, professional pathways, and skill-building opportunities. He is dedicated to empowering readers with information to navigate their educational and career journeys effectively.
- Raghav M.https://hindustanherald.com/authors/raghav_m/
