Framework to enable the transition to decentralized waste management in gated communities in the Global South to curb marine plastic pollution

An estimated 80% of marine plastic pollution is caused by land-based activities. Obstacles to curbing land-based sources of marine plastic pollution in the Global South can be attributed to overburdened waste management facilities lacking the capacity to deal with rapidly increasing plastic waste generation. 

In India, the national government has introduced several policy regulations to promote source segregation and proper handling of all solid waste streams, including plastic. These regulations address marine plastic pollution with actions to ease the burden on waste management infrastructure and curb plastic leakage. Most notable is The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (henceforth, Rules), which was notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change of the Government of India. The Rules as per Clause 8 outline the responsibility of waste generators to minimize plastic waste, segregate at source, and ensure forward linkage of plastic waste to curb plastic leakage. The Rules also iterate the need for further alignment with The Solid Waste Management Rules, calling for decentralized waste management, where appropriate, to boost efficiency of waste management. 

Bulk waste generators, that is any entity producing more than 100 kg solid waste/day, alone account for 30-40% of the daily waste in India. This includes residential communities such as gated communities where the standard operating procedure so far has been the collection of co-mingled waste then sent to the corporation dustbins. 

The selected case study deep dives into a gated community in the city of Chennai, The Atrium, winner of the ‘Swachh Survekshan 2021’ award for efficient solid waste management to help illustrate a pathway to achieve zero-landfill status for residential communities. Through this, a framework for source segregation and decentralized waste management for gated communities in the Global South is outlined. The adoption of this framework has the collective potential to curb marine plastic pollution massively.