National Geographic - Ban on plastic for urban waste management

India has a fairly low per capita use of plastics (24 pounds or 11 kilograms a year, compared to 240 pounds or 109 kilograms in the United States), but with a population of 1.35 billion, this translates into more than 550,000 tons of mismanaged plastic waste reaching the ocean every year.

By the beginning of 2019, local governments in more than half of India’s 29 states and 7 territories had crafted legislation taking aim at single-use plastic.

Convincing consumers to shift away from the convenience of plastics is not easily accomplished. Yet progress is visible on some fronts. The restaurant and food-service industries are among the most heavily impacted. Research into such biodegradable and plant-based materials has accelerated.

Street vendors who used to have small mounds of plastic waste near their shops have started switching to reusable materials, paper, and plant fibers to pack and serve food. Women’s self-help groups are swamped with orders for bags made of cotton and jute. Inmates of a prison started selling cloth bags at the prison bazaar.