Out of Box Approach Needed to Beat Plastic Pollution: Vardhan

New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today pledged to eliminate single-use plastic from India by 2022 and stressed on the need to adopt an "out of box" approach to deal with plastic pollution.

At an event organised to mark World Environment Day, he said that by hosting WED 2018, India reaffirms its commitment to defeat plastic pollution.

The event organised on the theme - Beat Plastic Pollution - was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We make a solemn pledge that by 2022 we will eliminate all single-use plastics from our beautiful country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a New India by 2022 - an India of our dreams which will be clean, poverty-free, corruption-free, terrorism-free, casteism-free and most of all, which will be a global superpower.

"This India of our dreams will also be single-use plastic free. And, on the personal front, I pledge to henceforth completely do away with single-use plastic in my life," he said.

"To beat plastic pollution, we need an out-of-the-box approach to designing, producing, using and managing plastic products through solutions that lead to Green Good Behaviour," he added.

The government has framed comprehensive "Plastic and Solid Waste Management Rules" which address all the concerns related to plastics.

"Also, taking cognizance of the environmental degradation arising from the use of plastics, our government has initiated action to ensure that all public buildings and universities become free of single-use plastics," he said.

Noting that plastic is not the real problem, he said it is a unique material with crucial applications in the health sector, generation of clean energy from wind turbines to solar panels, as well as safe food storage.

"Plastic packaging accounts for around 50 per cent of all plastic waste generated globally, much of which is single-use. The global plastic production is projected to nearly double within a short period of time.

"Eliminating single-use plastic, both from design chains to our consumer habits, is a critical first step to beat plastic pollution. Once in the environment, plastics don't degrade easily and eventually find their way into our food chain," he said.

"We join the United Nations in appealing to the governments, industry, communities and individuals globally to come together and explore sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.

"These single use plastics are polluting our land and oceans, endangering marine life and impacting human health adversely," the minister said.

For long-term sustainable living, the global community needs to rethink its energy and resource consumption patterns, he said.

In March, India hosted the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a common platform for cooperation among solar resource-rich nations, he said and asserted that ISA has now transformed into a global inter-governmental organization headquartered in India that is helping us to harness solar energy at prices that were unimaginable three years ago.

"Also, through the Swachh Bharat Campaign, the waste to wealth movement has gained strength. Today, for a vast and developing country like India he has given a mantra – ‘Swachh, Swastha and Sampann Bharat', a clean, healthy and prosperous India - and that is a goal which we all shall pursue relentlessly," he said.

He said to motivate and involve the masses in environmental protection, "we prepared a compendium of Green Good Deeds, which has now been internationally acknowledged as the BRICS Environment Ministers' meeting in Durban, last month, agreed to include Green Good Deeds in its agenda for the next meeting.

"If each and every one of us does at least one Green Good Deed daily as part of our Green Social Responsibility, there will be more than a billion green good deeds accomplished each day across the country," he said.

"There is a need to raise consciousness about the impact plastics have on society and environment and to inform and educate people about alternate materials. I call upon all citizens and in particular, the civil society groups to be crusaders for realizing this goal," he added.

He stressed that there is also an onus on the industry, as part of their green corporate responsibility to ensure that plastics they make are degradable, recyclable or reusable.

"I also make a fervent appeal to school and college children to take up the leadership of the Beat Plastic Pollution movement. You as Polio Sainiks for many years got us a polio free India," he added.

Executive Director, UN Environment, Erik Solheim, expressed his gratitude to the people and Government of India for elaborately organising the World Environment Day 2018.

"In India, there are many initiatives against plastic waste and pollution going on like the one led by grassroot communities, government and local population, corporate sector and enthusiastic environmentalists amongst others, which are both a source inspiration and encouragement for the international community," Solheim said.

The prime minister released a commemorative stamp on the theme of World Environment Day 2018. Several publications were also released.

CEOs of corporate houses shared their efforts to partner with Swachh Bharat Mission and pledged their support to reduce single-use plastics as part of their operations.

An exhibition titled Sambandh was organized in the back lawns of Vigyan Bhawan, showcasing the intrinsic relationship between people and environment with tremendous footfall in last three days.

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