Plastics are man made, Synthetic and non biodegradable products that pollute our environment badly. Unlike Vegetable peel, paper and other organic materials which gets degraded when buried in soil, plastic remains years after years without being degraded a single inch. Plastics also cannot be burnt because on burning of plastics, they release harmful and toxic chemicals into the air which pollute the air badly. So it is a big threat to the environment. Our country, India generates 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. So it is a big concern to manage and reduce this plastic waste . Use of alternative things is an option but it is not so accurate as huge amount of plastics are being generated in factory and it will take time for alternatives like cotton, jute to take its place. So the only way is to confront plastic waste for a greener future. 

Strategies to minimize plastic waste 

Here are some strategies to minimize plastic waste. They are-

1. Pyrolysis:- Pyrolysis mean transforming waste to clean energy. It is an emerging technology aimed to reduce the use of plastic in landfills. It aimed to produce valuable by products from plastics It converts non recyclable plastics into liquid fuels and circular chemicals. This process involves subjecting plastics at high temperature in the absence of oxygen. It undergoes both physical and chemical transformations, resulting in the separation of various molecules. Pyrolysis is also an economical method as it does not involve the segregation of plastic waste. It is a viable solution of plastic waste management in urban and rural areas. It also helps to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Pyrolysis also help to create green job opportunities. 
2. Upcycling:-  Upcycling is a term which mean breathing new life to discarded plastics. It is another approach to repurpose plastic waste by transforming it into higher value and quality. Traditional recycling involve breaking down of materials into new products. Upcycling focuses on giving discarded materials a new life by processing or downgrading their quality. It diverts materials from ending up in landfills or being incinerated. It decreases the overall volume of plastic waste, contributing to waste reduction and resource conservation. It also extends the lifespan of plastic by making them into flexible and durable products. It promotes creativity and innovation and boost our sustainable practices. It also lowers the carbon footprint. 

E.g.- Plastics can be converted into Apparel plastics from which different products such as Apparel hangers are made which can be reused and recycled for future use.

1. Scaling sustainable innovations:- Curbing plastic pollution is a combined effort of people, Government, social workers and the NGOS. The Government of India has banned the use of plastic waste since 1st July, 2022. Government is encouraging and supporting people, eco friendly organisations, corporates and others to reduce plastic waste. Involvement of panchayats and municipalities also play a great role. Government is also taking initiative like Swacch Bharat Abhiyan as a means to cleaning waste products and curbing plastic pollution.
2. Gasification:-  Gasification is the process of synthesis gas production from polyethylene(PE) and polypropylene(PP). The steam Gasification is modelled by using a stimulation software. The gasifire should be operated at 900 degree Celsius with an optimum steam to feed ratio at 1.5 . It is an effective technique in reduction of plastic waste.
3. Polyblend:- Polyblend is a process of blending or mixing polythene and their products with other substances to produce another hard , durable and effective substance. It is a new and excellent idea which aims to use plastic for better and greener use. Recently, an idea was given by a scientist in Madurai that polyblend can be mixed with bitumen which will help in road construction. Mixing of plastic increases melting point of bitumen which will increase durability of roads and It also increase the water repellant quality of bitumen along with its strength. This prevents percolation of rainwater into the roads and ensure retention of proper structure of roads.

Conclusion

Thus we can see that the methods of confronting plastic waste are expensive and time consuming. But plastic engulf us, we have to stop plastic. Besides this, we have to make better and innovative new ideas to curb plastic pollution. With our combined efforts, we can definitely control plastic waste and look forward for a greener future.