India, May 10 -- As per the global data, the world has produced and discarded over nine billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s. Around 165 million tonnes of it have clogged the oceans and since only about nine per cent of it gets recycled, the rest of the voluminous plastic pollutes the environment or gets stacked in landfills, where it takes more than 500 years to decompose while leaching toxic chemicals into the ground.

Looking at the domestic statistics, India produces an estimated 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually - a figure which is likely to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030.

Initiatives by companies

After the World Economic Forum announced the aim for companies to reach 100 per cent reusable, recyclable and c...