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By:

Dr. Sanjay Joshi

31 August 2024 at 3:05:29 pm

India: The Largest Source of Plastic Pollution Worldwide

So, dear readers, now that we have learnt how and why waste plastic causes pollution, let us look a little deeper into this problem, which has grown out of proportion both globally and locally. Plastic pollution is no longer a distant issue; it has become a serious and immediate threat to our environment. According to the latest data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and several international researchers, over 460...

India: The Largest Source of Plastic Pollution Worldwide

So, dear readers, now that we have learnt how and why waste plastic causes pollution, let us look a little deeper into this problem, which has grown out of proportion both globally and locally. Plastic pollution is no longer a distant issue; it has become a serious and immediate threat to our environment. According to the latest data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and several international researchers, over 460 million metric tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide every year. This plastic is used in a wide range of applications, many of which are short-lived and quickly discarded. From this, an estimated 20–23 million metric tonnes of plastic waste end up in the environment annually. This figure is expected to increase sharply by 2040 if strong measures are not taken. Plastic litter is now found everywhere—on land, in rivers, in oceans, and even in the air as microplastics. Although plastic pollution is a global problem, Mera Mahan Bharat is sadly at the forefront of this crisis. A recent paper published in Nature states that India has become the world’s largest contributor to plastic pollution, accounting for nearly 20% of the total global plastic waste. India generates about 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. This is more than the waste produced by many regions. Of this, nearly 3.5 million tonnes are improperly discarded and mismanaged, meaning they are neither collected nor scientifically processed. Plastic waste in India has been rising at an alarming rate due to rapid urbanisation, population growth, and economic development. In cities, the demand for single-use plastics and packaging materials has increased drastically, driven by convenience and changing lifestyles. India’s per capita plastic consumption has reached around 11 kg per year and is expected to grow further with increasing industrialisation and consumerism. This trend places enormous pressure on our already overburdened waste management systems. The major factors responsible for the sharp increase in plastic pollution in India are as follows. Single-Use Plastics Single-use plastics, such as polythene carry bags, straws, disposable cutlery, cups, and packaging materials, form a large share of India’s plastic waste. Despite regulatory bans and restrictions, nearly 43% of the country’s total plastic waste still comes from single-use plastics. This clearly shows that the problem lies not only in policy-making but also in enforcement and implementation. The continued dominance of single-use plastics is largely due to weak monitoring and the lack of affordable, easily available alternatives. Many small vendors, shopkeepers, and consumers still find plastic to be the cheapest and most convenient option for daily use. Although the government introduced a ban on selected single-use plastic items in 2022, its impact on the ground has been limited. These products are still widely manufactured, sold, and used because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and readily available in local markets, making the ban difficult to enforce consistently. Open Burning and Landfilling: About 5.8 million tonnes of plastic waste are openly burnt across India every year, mainly in rural areas and urban slums. This practice is extremely dangerous, as it not only worsens air pollution but also releases highly toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. These pollutants directly harm local communities and add to climate change. In addition, nearly 30% of total plastic waste is dumped in uncontrolled landfills. Such sites are not scientifically managed, allowing harmful chemicals to seep into the soil and nearby water bodies. Over time, this contaminates groundwater, damages ecosystems, and poses serious risks to human and animal life. During the winter months, it is common to see people collecting wood and dry leaf litter from the streets, lighting small fires, and sitting around them for warmth. However, plastic bottles, wrappers, and polythene bags often get mixed in and are burnt along with the leaves. Most people are unaware that they are not only polluting the environment but also inhaling toxic fumes from very close distances. The smoke from burning plastic contains harmful substances that can cause respiratory problems, eye irritation, skin issues, and even long-term diseases such as cancer. Open burning of plastic is therefore one of the most hazardous practices for human health and environmental safety. Besides these factors, inefficient waste management infrastructure, discrepancies in data reporting, and heavy dependence on informal waste handling systems further worsen the problem. We will explore these issues in greater detail next week. Till then, have a good weekend! (The author is an environmentalist. Views Personal.)

Publish the Rhythm

The Missing Middle series, Part 4

Not every fire is a crisis. Some are just unspoken timing issues.

When do we check in? Who owns this next? When will the stuck work move?

If those moments aren’t pre-decided, they turn into repeated distractions. And even your best people end up waiting.


Rhythm isn’t about meetings.

It’s about visible, shared time.

• Check-ins don’t depend on memory

• Escalations have fixed slots

• Handoffs name who owns it, by when, and what “done” means

• Reviews happen … whether you’re in or not

It doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to be published.


The Week That Breathes

Start here. Don’t aim for perfection … aim for predictability. This rhythm isn’t a meeting culture. It’s a movement culture. It tells your team: this is where decisions happen, and this is when we fix what’s stuck.


Mon 10:00–10:20 – Ops Check

Start the week with what’s live: each WIP lane, the current owner, next decision due, and one flagged risk. Short. Focused. No project plans, no slides.


Tue 11:30–12:00 – Escalation Window #1

Ambers land here. Reds too … but only the real ones. No pinging leads on WhatsApp. If it’s not urgent, it waits for the slot. That’s how trust builds.


Wed 2:00–4:00 – Deep Work (Do Not Disturb)

Founders and managers are offline. This is not “off.” It’s when the system runs without checking first. And yes … it might wobble the first few weeks. That’s the point.


Thu 11:30–12:00 – Escalation Window #2

Same rule. If it didn’t close on Tuesday, it lands here … and now with context and a clear “what’s blocked” ask.


Fri 4:00–4:30 – Close & Commit

What shipped, what slipped, and what rolls forward. The goal? Zero “unclear status” items in anyone’s head over the weekend.


Daily (5 mins) – Standup by lane

No long updates. No monologues. If nothing changed, say so and move on. This is heartbeat, not theatre.


The School Bus Playbook

7:18 a.m.: “Bus kidhar hai?” Parents’ group lights up. Driver gets 6 calls. Someone shares a live location. Now add rhythm:

• Bag packed at night

• Kids at gate by 7:25

• Volunteer confirms headcount

• Escalate only if 10+ mins late

• Class teacher looped in only if two delays occur


Same people. Same bus.

Less panic.

Work didn’t get easier.

Time got structured.

What a good handoff

sounds like

From Sales to Ops

Owner: Priya

Next decision: Client sign-off

Due: Wed 5 PM

“Done” = invoice raised

Escalate in Thursday window if stuck

No flourish. Just clarity.

The part most teams

miss: Mindset

You can publish the slots. You can run the check-ins. But unless the mindset shifts, rhythm won’t hold. If the team still believes “it’s safer to wait for approval,” no calendar will fix it.

People need to know:

• Their decisions are trusted

• Mistakes will be handled inside the system

• You won’t override unless the ladder calls for it

This takes more than policy. It takes habit change, nudges, and sometimes, real coaching.

Rhythm isn’t just scheduling work. It’s transferring belief.

Roll it out (30–60–90)

Days 1–30 – Stabilise

n Pick two flows

n Publish the diary

n Enforce owner tags

n Kill side-DMs during escalation windows


Days 31–60 – Strengthen

  • Add a third flow

  • Define non-interference zones

  • Document “what good looks like” in one page


Days 61–90 – Scale

  • Add finance or hiring

  • Start a decision log

  • Simulate a stress week (double volume, observe what bends)

  • Signals it’s working

  • You stop hearing “Just checking if you saw this…”

  • Standups start with “Here’s what moved”

  • Handoffs name owner + next decision + done definition

  • After-hours messages drop

  • You leave early without guilt


That’s calm by design. Not a break from chaos … a replacement for it.

What this series really said

  • Headcount adds capacity. The middle adds speed

  • Ownership needs to be published, not implied

  • Founders scale through structure, not presence

  • Rhythm is how it all becomes daily


You don’t need more tools.

You don’t need louder follow-ups.

You just need time that runs in public … and decisions that land where they belong.

Take one hour today.

Block Mon ops, Tue/Thu windows, Fri close. Post the handoff script in your busiest lane.

And then let the system wobble. That’s when it learns to stand.


(Rashmi Kulkarni is Co-founder at PPS Consulting. Views personal. Write to rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz.)

1 Comment

rahul
Sep 11, 2025

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