Webinar on Plastic Waste Management and impact on Human Health
The interactive webinar aims to expand on the issue of plastic waste management and its impact on human health.
On 8 October 2021, 03:00 PM to 4:30 PM IST
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is hosting a webinar titled "Plastic Waste Management and impact on Human Health" on October 8, 2021 from 3 - 4:30 PM (IST). The webinar aims to deliberate on the challenges, issues and possible solutions for managing plastic waste and its environmental and health related impacts.
Be it food packets, toys, storage packing, furniture or electronic items, plastics are so widely used that imagining our lives without them is impossible. It is one of the best substitutes for wood, thus reducing the cutting of trees and helping the environment. Plastics offer considerable benefits for the future, but it is evident that our current approaches to production, use and disposal are not sustainable and present concerns for wildlife and human health. We have considerable knowledge about many of the environmental and health hazards associated with plastic waste, however, several concerns and uncertainties still surround this complex issue.
Plastic waste and standing water from blocked drains can provide a breeding ground for disease vectors. Non-organic household waste (including plastic) provides a variety of habitats for insects (such as flies and mosquitoes) and rodents. There are solutions, but these can only be achieved by combined actions. There is a role for individuals, via appropriate use and disposal of plastic waste, particularly recycling; for industry by adopting green chemistry, material reduction and by designing products for reuse and/or end-of-life recyclability and for governments and policymakers by setting standards and targets, by defining appropriate product labelling to inform and incentivize change and by funding relevant academic research and technological developments.