A roadmap for  sustainable Uttarakhand 

Uttarakhand, with its fragile Himalayan ecosystems, spiritual pilgrimage sites, and booming tourism, faces a critical need for sustainable plastic waste management. 

Why sustainability matters 

Ecological protection is vital to prevent plastic from entering rivers or being burned, which safeguards water quality, biodiversity, and soil health. Cleaner landscapes enhance visitor experiences, boost local economies, and respect Uttarakhand’s spiritual heritage. Reducing burning cuts air pollution. The Digital Deposit Refund System (DDRS) offers livelihoods to ragpickers, while education fosters long-term behavioural change. 

Environmental and ecological concerns 

A 2021 iForest study found that 30–35% of plastic waste in Haridwar and Rishikesh flows into rivers like the Ganga, with significant portions being burned or unmanaged, contaminating water, soil, and harming biodiversity. In the greater Himalayan region, including parts of Uttarakhand, over 84% of waste is plastic, with the majority being non-recyclable food and beverage packaging, especially prevalent along tourist routes. With almost 25 lakh pilgrims entering during the Char Dham Yatra and over 2 crore during the month-long Kanwad Mela, the situation is becoming more severe by the day. 

Infrastructure and governance gaps 

About 70–90% of households in major towns and cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Nainital, and Mussoorie throw mixed waste into a single bin, making recycling nearly impossible. Frameworks for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) exist on paper but often lack local implementation, with poor producer accountability in mountain regions. Urban centres like Dehradun produce 328 tonnes of plastic waste per day, which is set to nearly double, and while NGOs have recycled 6,772 tonnes since 2018, the scale remains inadequate. 

Tourism and pilgrimage pressures 

Hundreds of thousands of visitors on the Char Dham Yatra generate immense plastic waste. A QR-deposit system piloted in Kedarnath prevented roughly 1,63,000 bottles from entering the fragile ecosystem since 2018. Such initiatives must be expanded to Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Nainital, with scan-and-return systems encouraging refunds and empowering ragpickers. 

Social and behavioural challenges 

Community frustration is rising. A user from the region noted that trash bins installed never get emptied and that while they personally collect and sort their trash, this is a task that will be very hard for the majority. Another person shared that people either throw waste in fields or just burn it. Although the government has installed dustbins, authorities do not show up to pick up the garbage. 

Current solutions and innovation 

The sustainability of any solution, programme, or policy must be scientifically proven, socially acceptable, and economically viable. If conceived like the sustainable plastic waste management policy of the Himachal Pradesh government, a Prime Minister’s award-winning initiative, it should include the three Ps: Permanent Executive, Political Executive, and People working in tandem. 

The policy initiative, based on a practical approach of creating a less plastic world rather than a plastic-less world, must follow the 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recreate. The principle of Polluters Pay must be strictly enforced. The recycling process must ensure that the carbon footprint generated is always less than that for a new product to ensure viability. 

The author has successfully carried forward sustainable solutions to single-use plastic waste by using up to 10% by weight, consuming one ton per kilometre, saving Rs 30,000 to Rs 37,000 per km in plastic waste–based roads. These roads are 30% more durable than conventional bituminous roads. Plastic waste–based roads and plastic waste–mixed paver blocks can act as a Sanjeevani for local bodies that are always starved of funds, providing more durable roads and pathways. 

Taking a cue from pilot projects of plastic waste–based roads in 2015 at Kanak Chowk to Vikas Bhawan in Dehradun and 26 km of roads in Chakrata and Vikasnagar, former special secretary of the Himachal Pradesh government, the new mayor of Dehradun, Saurabh Thapliyal, has enforced the PWD and MC Dehradun to sign an MoU to buy plastic waste and use it in road construction. 

Other successfully implemented projects include rural school toilets and boundary walls using PET bottles, implemented in various states. A more plausible solution to get rid of unsorted single-use plastic is pyrolysis, creating RDF from plastic waste without poisonous gaseous emissions and with minimal energy consumption. A Rs 30 lakh plant can pyrolyze one ton of unsorted plastic waste to generate RDF or pyrolysis oil of up to 500–750 kg per ton, priced at Rs 45–75 per litre. With a calorific value much higher than traditional coal and almost akin to diesel, this proves both economically and environmentally viable. 

Good practices to follow 

The Digital Deposit Refund System with QR-coded deposits on plastic products promotes returns and recycling along pilgrimage routes. Plastic Bank initiatives in Dehradun, in partnership with Airbus, have set up institutional segregation and collection systems for recycling into fuel or reusable materials. 

Dehradun’s “Plastic Wapsi Abhiyaan” engaged students to bring segregated waste to be converted into fuel-grade diesel by IIP. NGOs like Waste Warriors and IPCA contribute extensively to cleanup, community awareness, and recycling infrastructure. Sustainable plastic waste management, if followed diligently, can prove a boon to the entire Indian Himalayan Mountain Arc and Uttarakhand in particular. 

Strategic recommendations 

Policies must be localised to suit mountain realities such as low population density and access constraints, and producer accountability must be enforced. The QR-deposit system should be expanded statewide, beyond pilgrimage routes, to urban and rural hubs. Door-to-door collection must be enhanced, bins must be emptied regularly, and recycling centres must be decentralised. Public awareness should be strengthened through school programmes, NGO outreach, and local language campaigns. Supporting the circular economy through eco-bricks, plastic roads, and recycling start-ups can help create green jobs. 

Uttarakhand’s plastic pollution is a multifaceted challenge that combines ecological sensitivity, a heavy tourism influx, and weak infrastructure, but emerging digital solutions, community action, and policy innovation offer a path forward. Embedding sustainable practices now will nurture healthier rivers, resilient communities, and a greener future for the Himalayas. 

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