Protecting marine ecosystems through better waste management

Context

Each year, an estimated nine to ten million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans, primarily from land-based sources such as human settlements along coastlines and river catchments. Around 88 to 95 per cent of all river-borne plastic comes from just ten rivers, including the Ganga and Brahmaputra in India. As one of the largest plastic producers, India’s plastic-processing industry exceeded 22 million tonnes per year by 2020.

Poor municipal waste management in many cities contributes significantly to plastic pollution, with about 40 per cent of plastic waste remaining uncollected. Limited adoption of waste segregation and recycling further exacerbates litter and pollution.

Objective

Practices, including Material Recovery Facilities and the use of digital tools, have been established to prevent plastic from entering the marine environment.

Approach

The project focuses on the following aspects:

1. Developing guidelines, technical specifications, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), digital tools, and a platform for secondary raw materials, applied nationally, regionally, and within cities. These efforts are supported by awareness-raising and behaviour change actions in the hotspot areas of the selected cities.
2. Implementing demonstration projects for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in three piloting cities.
3. Collaborating with bulk recyclers and producers to maximise resource recovery by converting non-recyclables into recyclables, thereby closing the material loop.

Last update: April 2025