India’s Waste Policy Will Fail Without Low-Value Plastic Recovery: The Overlooked 70% Packaging Growing Crisis

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A snack wrapper tossed after a quick bite, a milk packet rinsed and left aside, a plastic cover that feels too insignificant to matter. But over time, these everyday habits add up, slowly shaping a much larger waste problem that often goes unnoticed. On Earth Day 2026, conversations around sustainability feel more urgent than ever, not just about reducing waste, but about understanding what happens after we throw something away.

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Jabir Karat, Founder & CEO of Green Worms Waste Management Pvt. Ltd., shares the following insights on why India's waste policy will fail without low-value material recovery, which is nearly 70% of plastic packaging is flexible and low-value and almost entirely ignored by existing recycling systems, and why this is the critical missing piece in India's waste agenda.

Recycling Focus Has Shifted, But Not Where It Matters Most

Traditionally, plastic recycling has focused on post-industrial plastic waste because it is uniform in nature and uncontaminated. Over the last decade, recycling has also expanded to include high-value plastics such as polypropylene (PP) and High Molecular High Density Polyethylene (HDPE/HMLD).

However, these are not the plastics that are most commonly polluting the environment. The plastics that actually end up burnt or dumped in landfills or into water bodies and the ocean, are largely low-value plastics, especially flexible plastic films. Nearly 70% of the plastic packaging is flexible films that are of low value.

Low-Value Plastics Remain Largely Ignored

So far, the industry and brands have largely continued to focus recycling efforts on high-value plastics and post-industrial plastics. There is still very little collection and recycling infrastructure for low-value, difficult-to-recycle plastics such as flexible films. Only a handful of recyclers handle these materials in a formal and scientific way, Green Worms Recycling Plant being one amongst them.

The Economics of Collection Do Not Support Low-Value Waste

A major reason for this gap is that there is no financially viable collection system for low-value plastic waste. Informal waste collectors naturally prioritise high-value materials because they offer better returns. For example, in the case of 500 ml milk pouches, nearly 450 pouches are required to make one kilogram, which fetches only around ₹15. As a result, waste pickers prefer to collect high-value materials instead.

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Recycling Challenges Go Beyond Collection

The challenge does not end at collection. There is a lack of a robust recycling infrastructure for low-value plastics because these materials are often heavily contaminated. Flexible films usually contain bad odours, printing inks, lamination, paper labels, stickers, and are often multi-layered. These characteristics make them extremely difficult and expensive to recycle.

There is also the absence of a complete value chain for the final recycled material. Even when low-value plastics are recycled, there are very few formal buyers or end-use buyers for the recycled output. Without a reliable route for reintegrating the recycled content back into the supply chain, recycling remains financially unviable from collection through to processing.

Policy Exists, But Implementation Gaps Persist

India has a progressive policy framework, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). However, there are still significant gaps in implementation. Current efforts continue to focus largely on materials such as PET and PP, while problematic low-value plastics receive far less attention.

A System-Wide Shift Is Needed

There needs to be a significant shift in focus toward the materials that are creating the greatest environmental burden. Solving this problem requires coordinated action from all stakeholders: government policymakers, brands, plastic producers, recyclers, and the informal waste sector.

Making Low-Value Plastics Worth Collecting

Low-value plastics need to be given sufficient economic value so that they become worth collecting. They must become a commodity that offers an incentive for informal waste collectors. Unless the economics of collection and recycling improve, plastic mismanagement will continue.

Designing Plastics for Recyclability

At the same time, plastic producers need to redesign materials so they are easier to recycle. Many problematic plastics today are multi-layered and made from complex combinations of polymers. Producers should move toward mono-layer plastics and use better printing and labelling materials that do not interfere with recycling. At present, most plastic products are designed primarily around customer preferences and aesthetics rather than recyclability. Recyclability needs to become the priority.

Illegal Additives Make Recycling Harder

Another issue is the illegal practice of adding fillers or non-plastic substances, such as calcium carbonate, into plastics to reduce costs. These additives make the material even more difficult to recycle due to high ash content.

Collective Action Is the Only Way Forward

Ultimately, all stakeholders need to come together. Without changes in collection systems, recycling infrastructure, material demand, and policy implementation, low-value plastic waste will continue to be a major source of environmental pollution.

Earth Day 2026 brings the focus back to a simple but uncomfortable truth-what gets measured and managed is not always what matters most. While policies and systems continue to prioritise high-value plastics, the bulk of everyday waste slowly slips through the cracks. The wrappers, films, and low-value materials that dominate daily consumption are still missing from the centre of the conversation.