Context : Core Finding
- 84% of plastic waste in the Himalayan region comes from single-use food and beverage packaging.
- 70% of this plastic is non–recyclable, highlighting the severity of pollution in an eco-sensitive zone.
Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)
Geographical Coverage
- Plastic waste audit spans the Himalayan belt from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
- Major data insights from Sikkim, Darjeeling (West Bengal), and other nine Himalayan states.
- Sikkim recorded the highest waste generation, followed by Darjeeling with over 36,000 items audited across 37 sites.
Organisational Framework
- Led by:
- Zero Waste Himalaya (Gangtok, Sikkim)
- Integrated Mountain Initiative (Dehradun, Uttarakhand)
- Together they organise The Himalayan Cleanup (THC), an annual plastic audit since 2018.
Systemic Nature of the Crisis
- The issue is not just consumer behavior, but a production and systems-level problem.
- Emphasis on:
- Shifting away from extractive, centralised waste systems
- Need for systemic policy interventions, not just individual change
Policy and Structural Implications
- Calls for:
- Paradigm shift in waste management policies
- Reduction in production of non-recyclable plastics
- Promotion of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and eco-friendly packaging
- Urges decentralised and regenerative waste management models tailored to the Himalayan ecosystem.
Environmental Impact
- The Himalayas’ fragile ecology is under serious threat from plastic accumulation.
- Persistence of non-recyclable packaging adds long-term burden to already vulnerable environments.
