India generates one-fifth of all global plastic waste, the highest amount in the world, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature.
The researchers concluded that uncollected waste and its open burning were leading factors in the global pollution crisis, and that these sources of pollution are particularly pronounced in India.
About 53% of India’s plastic pollution comes from uncollected waste and 38% is a result of open burning from dumpsites, they found.
Nigeria, Indonesia and China were the highest polluters after India, according to the study.
The study was conducted using activity data from global databases and a new inventory the that researchers created using local data from 50,000 municipalities globally.
It also cited the Central Pollution Control Board’s 2020-’21 solid waste management report, which includes data on the collection and treatment of solid waste from across India.
While India’s large population contributes to the high levels of waste, the per capita plastic generation in the country is significantly low. With each person generating about 6.6 kilograms of plastic waste every year, India is ranked 127th in plastic pollution on a per capita basis.
The researchers estimated that 56.8 million metric tons of solid waste are burnt every year in India, of which 5.8 million are plastic.
However, they acknowledged the difficulty in measuring data from India because of gaps in official statistics that they feel have led to waste generation being underreported, and waste collection being overreported. They adjusted their model to reflect a more accurate rate of waste generation.
“There is evidence that official statistics do not include rural areas, open burning of uncollected waste or waste recycled by the informal sector,” the researchers wrote, referencing a 2021 study by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali. “This means that India’s official waste generation rate is probably underestimated and waste collection overestimated.”
The researchers proposed several solutions to mitigate plastic pollution globally. Their recommendations include improving infrastructure and services for waste collection and recycling systems, and mitigating emissions by redesigning plastic products.
“Our insight indicates that tackling uncollected waste would have a bigger impact than mitigating all other land-based macroplastic sources combined,” the researchers concluded.