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Geneva was meant to be the turning point. For ten tense days, the Palais des Nations carried the weight of a world desperate for relief from plastic pollution. Delegates arrived with briefcases full of ambition, and they left on the morning of 15 August with no agreement. The headlines quickly called it a failure, “Talks collapse, no deal reached”. But silence in Geneva did not mean surrender.

As the sun rises over India’s 649,000 villages, life awakens in a familiar rhythm, milk cans clank on bicycles, children trek to school past grazing cattle, and the earthy scent of the land fills the air. Yet alongside this pastoral serenity lies a festering problem: waste.

Imagine a land where rivers shimmer with life, not plastic waste. A future where beaches are strewn with seashells, not discarded bottles. This vision isn’t unattainable; it's a glimpse of what India could achieve if it tackles its plastic pollution.

What if waste wasn’t a problem, but an opportunity? Can you imagine a town where waste doesn’t pile up? Nestled in the quiet mountains of Shikaou Island, Japan’s town of Kamikatsu with a community of 1500 residents,  has achieved the seemingly impossible: a zero-waste lifestyle, inspiring the world to rethink sustainability. The town has proven that even small communities can make a big impact when it comes to zero-waste.

Chennai's long-standing waste management issues had one last hope for decentralised management in the form of Micro Composting Centers (MCC) and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF), which were at least imperfectly functional.

ஆங்கிலத்தில் வெளிவந்த பயோ பிளாஸ்டிக் பற்றிய கட்டுரையின் தமிழ் மொழியாக்கம்                                              &nbsp

சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் தரவுகளின்படி, இந்தாண்டு தீபாவளிக்கு 406 மெட்ரிக் டன் பட்டாசுக் கழிவுகள் அகற்றப்பட்டுள்ளதாக தகவல்கள் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

As waves lapped at Busan’s shores, delegates inside INC-5 (25 November - 1 December 2024) faced a storm of their own - the task of negotiating a treaty that will shape the future of our planet’s relationship with plastics. Delegates from across the globe came together, grappling with the urgent need to address the escalating plastic crisis that threatens ecosystems, economies, and human health.

A version of this article first appeared in The Hindu on 25/11/2024