Fishing areas off Mumbai have highest plastic waste concentration

Fishing areas off Mumbai have highest plastic waste concentration

News:

Study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) found highest concentration of plastic waste in the country near fishing areas off the coast of Mumbai.

Important Facts:

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that the highest concentration of midsea plastic has been recorded in the North Pacific Gyre, located at the north Pacific Ocean
• The findings were derived through an internationally accepted methodology called swept area method, which was also used to calculate density of marine organisms.
• CMFRI conducted experiments at 20 -30 meters’ depths and found four fish species and two shark species with plastic in their stomach.

What are plastics?

• Plastics are non-biodegradable, synthetic polymers.
• They are made-up of long chain hydrocarbons with additives and can be moulded into finished products.
• These polymers are broken into monomers such as ethylene, propylene, vinyl, styrene and benzene etc.
• Finally, these monomers are chemically polymerized into different categories of plastics.

Chemicals in Plastic

• Two broad classes of plastic-related chemicals are of critical concern for human health—bisphenol-A or BPA, and additives used in the synthesis of plastics, which are known as phthalates

Legislation in India:

• Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWR), 2011:
  • It was introduced under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
  • The rules established a framework which assigned responsibilities for plastic waste management to the urban local bodies
• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016
  • The rules offer directives to urban local bodies and Gram Panchayats on segregation, collection, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste in their areas of jurisdiction
• Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018
  • Recommends a central registration system for the registration of the producer, importer or brand owner.
  • Recommends a national registry for producers with presence in more than two states, a state-level registration for producers operating within one or two states
  • Rule related to explicit pricing of carry bags has been removed.

Suggested Measures:

• Waste Management – For a robust plastic waste management system, a network of collection and recycling centers is a prerequisite. Ubiquitous recycling centers has been a major factor in developing an efficient waste management in Sweden
• Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) – Targets must be issued by central or state bodies for plastic producers and manufacturers to collect and recycle minimum proportions of their contributed waste and Companies to be made accountable for their social and environmental responsibilities
• Waste Segregation: Waste segregation should be made mandatory