The workers who have sustained urban recycling systems for decades remain excluded from the benefits of the very circular economy they helped build. In continuation of my last week’s article, the introduction and subsequent strengthening of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework were expected to create significant opportunities for waste pickers. These workers already recover and channel a substantial proportion of post-consumer plastic waste into recycling stre

Have bans, rules and waste systems really been enough to tackle plastic waste? The Indian plastics industry began in 1957 with the state-owned Indian Petrochemicals. By 1979, the sector had taken firmer shape. Use of plastics in India became increasingly common over the decades and grew sharply in popularity in the 1990s. Single-use plastic entered the market and soon became a widely sought-after material for households and businesses alike. Plastic consumption had already be