240 tonnes of plastic dumped in Delhi everyday: Report

The Capital currently generates over 1,100 tonnes per day (TPD) of plastic waste, but only around 870 TPD is being recycled or managed, leaving a gap of 242 TPD, or 22% of Delhi’s plastic waste load which ends up either in drains, at landfill or finding its way to the Yamuna, the latest data shows.

While Delhi has set a target of June 2024 to bridge this gap completely, experts say the Capital may have to work much harder, especially considering the fact that it has failed to successfully implement the ban on 19 single-use plastic (SUP) items.

Data shared by municipal bodies during a meeting on April 25 with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed high-level solid waste monitoring committee, which is headed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, showed that Delhi’s current plastic waste generation figure stood at 1,113.25 TPD, with 871.25 TPD being processed. This leaves a gap of 242 TPD, which required immediate attention, with agencies fixing a timeline of June 2024 to bridge this gap.

Atin Biswas, programme director of the municipal solid waste sector at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says segregation of waste is the base for any city looking to solve its waste problem. “At present, even this figure of 78% plastic being recycled seems fairly high, as Delhi is not segregating its waste like other cities. Only when that is being done, can waste be effectively separated. Until we achieve segregation at source, this target of June 2024 appears highly unlikely,” said Biswas.

Meanwhile, Delhi has also fallen behind on its single-use plastic (SUP) goals. From July 1, 2022 onwards, 19 SUP items were banned in Delhi and other states and Union territories across the country simultaneously, as part of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021, issued on August 12, 2021.

However, several items in the list are still commonly found in markets across Delhi.

Bhiku Ram, 39, who sells fruit juice at the Lajpat Nagar central market, still has both plastic straws and plastic spoons on display at his counter. He said while he tried to transition to the alternatives, the price difference still remains substantial. “Plastic is still easily available and agencies also are not too keen on enforcing such a ban,” Ram said.

Ashish Jain, founder and director of the NGO Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) said there is an urgent need for action on plastic pollution. “Agencies are finally beginning to act on plastic pollution, but it still needs a change in the mindset of consumers too. For instance, plastic items like plastic furniture have several alternatives, but plastic ones still exists in the market. We need to stop giving consumers such options.”