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The NewIndian Express, Chennai

NEW DELHI, India, 12 February 2002 -- Denmark Environment Minister Hans C. Schmidt was profusely apologetic about the fact that his country had been sending plastic waste to India for re-cycling illegally. "This would be the last time something like this has happened," he said.

Ironically he is here to participate in the Delhi Sustainable Development Seminar organised by TERI. Plastic is seen as one of the most unsustainable products as it is non-biodegradable.

Recently a coalition of voluntary associations called NoPE (No Plastics in the Environment) had brought this fact to light and had met the Danish Deputy Head of Mission in New Delhi to apprise him of the situation as Denmark is also known for its commitment to environmental causes.

The last consignment from Denmark was of 400 tonnes. "This is the first case that has been brought to our notice but we believe that this illegal practice has been on," said Schmidt speaking to this website's newspaper.

Though the consignment from Denmark is not the cancer-causing PVC but acrylic polymers, it is seen as "plasticisation" of India when the country has more plastic it can deal with.

"As soon as it was brought to light, I contacted the firm through the municipality of the area and it seems that they did not know the rules," said Schmidt.

Since Denmark is a signatory to the Basel convention, it cannot send hazardous waste to to other countries without their permission.

The other guilty countries are Canada, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, France and the US. More than 61,000 tonnes of plastic waste has already found way to the country in 1999-2000 as compared to 59,000 tonnes the year before.

On the one hand when Indian cities are grappling with mounds of plastic waste, data from the office of the Foreign Trade has shown that India has been a favoured ground for dumping plastic waste.

Since India has no law banning the import of plastic and the recycling industry is largely in the informal sector, countries with stricter environmental laws find it convenient to send it here.

Recycling in India is mainly an informal industry and contrary to belief is not environment-friendly.

"Most plastics can only be downcycled into lower quality products that often have higher and more leachable levels of toxic additives," said Bharati Chaturvedi of NoPE. Most of the recycling is done by children, migrant workers and unprotected workers.

In other countries, recycling is a state-of the-art facility making it an environmentally-friendly exercise. Plastics are supposed to be inherently unsustainable, coming as they do from non-sustainable petroleum sources.

From the cradle to the grave, they are implicated in a variety of problems such as environmental pollution, health hazards during manufacturing and recycling, toxic exposure to consumers during use and cattle deaths due to ingestion of plastic waste.

"What we are demanding is a complete ban on imports of plastics and after the ban there should be monitoring by local people," said Chaturvedi.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has already made efforts to ban plastic bags by issuing a notification on the thickness of the bag.

A committee has also been set up under Justice Ranganath Mishra to suggest ways to deal with plastic waste. The committee is to give its report at the end of this month.

Ironically he is here to participate in the Delhi Sustainable Development Seminar organised by TERI. Plastic is seen as one of the most unsustainable products as it is non-biodegradable. Recently a coalition of voluntary associations called NoPE (No Plastics in the Environment) had brought this fact to light and had met the Danish Deputy Head of Mission in New Delhi to apprise him of the situation as Denmark is also known for its commitment to environmental causes. The last consignment from Denmark was of 400 tonnes. "This is the first case that has been brought to our notice but we believe that this illegal practice has been on," said Schmidt speaking to this website's newspaper. Though the consignment from Denmark is not the cancer-causing PVC but acrylic polymers, it is seen as "plasticisation" of India when the country has more plastic it can deal with. "As soon as it was brought to light, I contacted the firm through the municipality of the area and it seems that they did not know the rules," said Schmidt. Since Denmark is a signatory to the Basel convention, it cannot send hazardous waste to to other countries without their permission. The other guilty countries are Canada, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, France and the US. More than 61,000 tonnes of plastic waste has already found way to the country in 1999-2000 as compared to 59,000 tonnes the year before. On the one hand when Indian cities are grappling with mounds of plastic waste, data from the office of the Foreign Trade has shown that India has been a favoured ground for dumping plastic waste. Since India has no law banning the import of plastic and the recycling industry is largely in the informal sector, countries with stricter environmental laws find it convenient to send it here. Recycling in India is mainly an informal industry and contrary to belief is not environment-friendly. "Most plastics can only be downcycled into lower quality products that often have higher and more leachable levels of toxic additives," said Bharati Chaturvedi of NoPE. Most of the recycling is done by children, migrant workers and unprotected workers. In other countries, recycling is a state-of the-art facility making it an environmentally-friendly exercise. Plastics are supposed to be inherently unsustainable, coming as they do from non-sustainable petroleum sources. From the cradle to the grave, they are implicated in a variety of problems such as environmental pollution, health hazards during manufacturing and recycling, toxic exposure to consumers during use and cattle deaths due to ingestion of plastic waste. "What we are demanding is a complete ban on imports of plastics and after the ban there should be monitoring by local people," said Chaturvedi. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has already made efforts to ban plastic bags by issuing a notification on the thickness of the bag. A committee has also been set up under Justice Ranganath Mishra to suggest ways to deal with plastic waste. The committee is to give its report at the end of this month. The NewIndian Express, Chennai 21-2-2002