India's Plastic Production: A Comprehensive Overview

India is the third-largest producer of plastic waste in the world, generating 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. This figure has almost doubled over the last five years, with an average annual increase of 21.8%. In 2019-20, India produced 34.7 lakh tonnes of plastic waste, 50% of which was recycled.

India is the third-largest producer of plastic waste

Despite this, India's plastic waste generation has more than doubled in the last five years, with an average annual increase of 21.8%. In 2019-20, India generated 34.7 lakh tonnes of plastic waste, of which 15.8 lakh tonnes were recycled and 1.67 lakh tonnes were co-processed, making it 50% of the total plastic waste produced recycled.

To address the issue of plastic waste, the Indian government has launched several initiatives, such as the National Dashboard on the Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management, and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal for plastic packaging. These initiatives aim to improve accountability, traceability, and transparency in the management of plastic waste and to bring all stakeholders together to track progress in eliminating single-use plastic.

India's per capita plastic waste is low

India is the third-largest producer of plastic waste, generating 5.58 million tonnes of single-use plastic annually. However, its per capita plastic waste is low compared to other countries. For example, China produces six times more plastic waste than India, despite having a similar population size. Japan and the UK also produce more plastic waste per year, with 4.7 MT and 2.8 MT respectively.

India's per capita plastic waste generation has almost doubled over the last five years, with an average annual increase of 21.8%. In 2019-20, India generated 34.7 lakh tonnes of plastic waste, of which 15.8 lakh tonnes were recycled and 1.67 lakh tonnes were co-processed, resulting in a 50% recycling rate. Despite this, India's low per capita plastic waste production puts it in a favourable position compared to other countries with lower populations.

To address the issue of plastic waste, the Indian government has launched several initiatives, such as the National Dashboard on Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal for plastic packaging. These initiatives aim to improve accountability, transparency, and the ease of reporting compliance for producers, importers, and brand owners. Additionally, the government is working to bring together various stakeholders, including central ministries, departments, states, and Union Territories, to track progress and effectively manage plastic waste.

India's plastic waste generation has more than doubled in the last five years

India is the third-largest producer of plastic waste in the world, with an annual production of 5.58 million tonnes of single-use plastic. However, India's per capita single-use plastic waste production is low compared to other countries.

To address this issue, the Indian government has launched several initiatives, such as the National Dashboard on the Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management. This initiative aims to bring together all stakeholders, including central ministries, departments, states, and Union Territories, to track progress in eliminating single-use plastic and effectively managing plastic waste. Another initiative is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal for plastic packaging, which aims to improve accountability, traceability, and transparency while facilitating ease of reporting compliance for producers, importers, and brand owners.

Despite these efforts, India's plastic waste generation continues to rise. The low per capita plastic waste production compared to other countries may be due to India's large population, as the total amount of plastic waste generated is still significant.

China is the largest producer of single-use plastic

China consumes at least one-fifth of the world's plastics and is home to about a third of the world's companies operating single-use plastic production facilities. One of the biggest culprits is the oil and gas firm Sinopec, which was recently named the third-largest single-use plastic waste producer in the world. In 2019, it reportedly churned out about 5.3 million tonnes of plastics.

India's plastic waste generation has more than doubled in the last five years, with an average annual increase of 21.8%. The country generated 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2022, and 34.7 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. However, India's per capita single-use plastic waste production is low, and it is ranked as the third-largest producer of plastic waste.

India's plastic waste recycling rate is 50%

India is the third-largest producer of plastic waste, generating about 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. This figure has almost doubled over the last five years, with an average annual increase of 21.8%. However, India's per capita single-use plastic waste production is low compared to other countries. For example, China produces six times more single-use plastic than India, and the US produces three times more.

Despite India's large contribution to plastic waste, it is important to note that the country's low per capita plastic waste puts it in a favourable position compared to other countries with lower populations. This is because India's large population means that the amount of plastic waste produced per person is relatively low.

According to the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, India generated 34.7 lakh tonnes of plastic waste during 2019-20. Of this, 15.8 lakh tonnes were recycled and 1.67 lakh tonnes were co-processed, resulting in a plastic waste recycling rate of 50%.

To address the issue of plastic waste, the Indian government has launched several initiatives, such as the National Dashboard on the Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management. These initiatives aim to bring together stakeholders from various sectors to track progress and eliminate single-use plastic effectively. Additionally, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal for plastic packaging has been introduced to improve accountability, traceability, and transparency in the management of plastic waste.

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