India should make 'two-bucket system' for plastic segregation compulsory: Union Jal Shakti Minister

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said India should consider making two-bucket system compulsory for garbage disposal, with one reserved for plastic waste.

Addressing a conclave on 'Circular Economy on Plastic Waste' organised by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Manch, the Union minister for Jal Shakti said proper segregation and recycling is the only solution to the environmental risk posed by plastic waste.

"The main challenge is segregation of plastic waste at source. Like Australia popularised the concept of the dual-flush system to conserve water, India should make the two-bucket system, with one bucket reserved for plastic waste, compulsory," Shekhawat said.

"In the US, each person uses 120 kg of plastic every year. It is 68 kg in Europe and around 40 kg in China. In India, only 11 kg of plastic is used per person annually. Though our plastic 'consumption' is undoubtedly the lowest, our pollution (due to plastic) is the maximum," he said.

Shekhawat said the reasons were that "we have a huge population and until now, we lacked ways to recycle plastic properly."