Plastic waste management: case study of tower market, Hyderabad

Abstract

Plastic consumption is continuously increasing due to urbanization and growing global demand. The consumption of plastic deteriorates the quality of the urban environment of most cities, especially in developing countries. To overcome this issue to some extent, this study was conducted to prevent the usage of plastic products to provide a healthy environment. The data was collected by using the closed-ended questionnaire survey and by reviewing the literature. The collected data were assessed and analyzed on SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software. The survey observed that there is no proper plastic waste disposal system in the study area. People who reside in the area and those who visit the market face an unhygienic environment. The results highlighted that 50% to 60% of residents use plastic items which are dumped at open spaces without proper management after their consumption. This study suggests short-term, mid-term and long-term mitigation measures to reduce the production by using bio-based plastic and consumption by reducing the unnecessary packaging of plastic waste.