Making conscious choices to manage the E-commerce plastic waste.
Shopping has become a lot more convenient over the years but that convenience comes out of cost. Our click to buy habit is creating tonnes of packaging waste. Every object we buy larger or smaller comes in a packet or a container made out of plastic. Although the E-Commerce Platform has made shopping easy in the COVID time, it certainly has increased household plastic waste. This blog will give an idea of how we as consumers can make a conscious choice that would help in managing e-commerce waste. The journey of plastic packaging waste can go down 2 routes. It can end up in landfills or can be recycled and gain economic benefits.
Picture a bottle of shampoo, as soon as an order is placed online for this product the packaging process starts at either a warehouse or at the vendor’s end. The bottle is made of plastic and comes in a box/bag that is also packed in plastic. Not only shampoo bottles, other products ordered online end up in plastic packaging. After the product is delivered to the consumer the packaging material is tossed. If the consumer is aware of the segregation at source, the plastic packaging waste is segregated into dry waste otherwise is thrown out as unsegregated waste. The collection of this waste is done by Urban local bodies or Municipalities, which is further sorted, the high-value plastic waste which includes the packaging material is separated and is purchased by the aggregator. If the separated plastic is recyclable then it is further transported to recyclers otherwise is sent to cement factories where it is used as an alternative fuel. This is a typical journey of plastic waste generated after you buy anything from an e-commerce platform.
Our Role as a consumer:
The government has mandated Extended Producer Responsibility for reducing plastic waste but its implementation is a challenge. Although a consumer has less control over the packaging material used, there are few steps that can be taken.
- Talk to the company directly- send an email to the company to opt for sustainable packaging.
- Recycle at home and encourage others to do the same.
- While buying products online, make sure you choose the least packaging option if available.
- Get in touch with the local authorities responsible for waste management and enlighten yourselves with the local process of waste management and see if you could contribute anywhere, the least you can do is segregate your waste at home.
- Contact EPR Agencies- EPR agencies are the ones who are a bridge between the companies generating plastic waste and the process of extended producer responsibility.
Conclusion
Shopping online has become a convenient option, as it avoids all the hassle of traveling around to buying things, but the impact it causes is inconvenient. Although the management of post-consumer plastic waste is the responsibility of the producer companies, we as a consumer could also participate in managing the plastic waste and shop responsibly.
Contributed By- Ashlesha Karande, Communication Executive at Social Lab
Social Lab Environmental Solutions is a waste management company, which helps brands take-back and scientifically dispose of post-consumer plastic waste of their products. Brands take our services to fulfill Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligation under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2018.
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