A recent viral video from Mumbai’s Juhu beach shows the shoreline overwhelmed by plastic waste, just days after a cleanup. Bottles, wrappers, bags — all washed back ashore, as if mocking our efforts. The images went viral, but the problem has long been in plain sight.
Every year, India produces 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste. According to Nature, we now contribute 20% of the world’s total plastic pollution. Of this, 5.8 million tonnes are burnt — filling the air with toxins. The remaining 3.5 million tonnes seep into our surroundings: clogging drains, choking rivers, littering roads, and drifting into the sea.
It’s not just pollution. It’s a collapse of basic infrastructure — and it’s the poorest who are left to clean it up.
The plastic problem, in plain sight
In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, plastic is everywhere — in drains, on roads, and even in lakes. In Delhi, the Ghazipur landfill has grown into a towering mountain of waste, as high as a 17-storey building, and has even caught fire multiple times. In Mumbai, Juhu Beach was buried in plastic just days after a major cleanup. In Bengaluru, Bellandur Lake, once a thriving water body, now overflows with toxic foam and plastic waste.
Even though the government has introduced rules and bans, not much has changed on the ground. Garbage keeps piling up, many areas still lack proper waste collection, and companies that profit from plastic packaging are rarely held accountable. Without stronger action, India’s plastic problem is only getting worse.
Someone profits, someone pays
Who’s cleaning up the mess? According to data from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 72% of plastic waste collection in India is handled by informal workers — mostly women and children. Government bodies handle just 14%, while private firms and producers contribute only 14% combined.
This means the poorest Indians are cleaning up after the richest — without rights, recognition, or protective gear. Waste pickers — who form the backbone of urban recycling — remain invisible in official plans and budgets.
These numbers don’t just reveal inefficiency — they reflect inequality.
Not just bad waste management — a systemic failure
Despite major announcements, India’s plastic rules remain largely voluntary.
But these policies are poorly enforced, with few penalties for non-compliance. There’s no national law mandating plastic collection targets or minimum waste infrastructure. As a result, most urban local bodies continue to dump garbage in landfills — or burn it.
It’s not a flaw — it’s a choice
This isn’t just a capacity problem. It’s a planning failure. Plastic packaging continues to dominate FMCG and e-commerce supply chains, even as corporations resist alternatives. Civic bodies are underfunded, and informal workers are ignored in policymaking. The system isn’t broken — it was never designed to be fair.
What a plastic-responsible India needs
If India is serious about ending its plastic crisis, it must treat waste as essential infrastructure — not as an afterthought. That means:
Until these changes are made, India’s plastic problem won’t go away — it’ll only grow. And the people who suffer first and worst will always be the ones with the least power.
Because in this system, someone profits — and someone pays.
