hen people in Pakistan talks about waste, the discussion almost always circles back to plastic bans. Images of discarded bags blowing in the wind have come to symbolise our pollution problem. Yet, the country’s waste crisis is far more complex, far larger and far more dangerous than the conversations suggest.

According to UN Comtrade data, Pakistan produces 49.6 million tonnes of waste every year. Plastics account for just 4 percent of it. The overwhelming bulk is made up of organic waste (62 percent) and construction and demolition debris (30 percent). Still, policy attention and enforcement energy are almost entirely directed towards one of the smallest waste streams.

In terms of plastic consumption, Pakistan ranks low globally. Annual per capita use stands between 7 and 7.5 kg, a fraction of the figures for countries like the United States at 130 kg, Japan at 129 kg, even India at 12 kg and Sri Lanka at 8 kg. The recycling rate is modest, around 7.6 to 7.8 percent, yet this is close to the global average of 9 percent.

Almost all of this recycling is driven by the private sector, small and medium enterprises and the informal network of waste pickers and junk dealers. The PET bottles are the exception; 80 to 90 percent of these are collected and repurposed into polyester fibres or other resin products that feed small manufacturing businesses.

The real bottleneck is capacity. Pakistan does not have formal recycling facilities to process complex plastics, especially those under resin codes 4 to 7 that are notoriously difficult to recycle. This category includes styrofoam, bubble wrap, drinking straws, egg cartons and disposable cutlery, materials that are both hazardous and persistent in the environment. The multi-layer packaging faces similar challenges, although a handful of start-ups........

© The News on Sunday