PepsiCo, Coco-Cola, Kaisha Industries, Natural water Industries, Parle, Vinayaka Industries, Hornbill Industries, ITC, CG Foods, Perfetti Van Melle were revealed as the top 10 polluters of the Indian Himalayan Region for 2025 at the webinar ‘The Himalayan Cleanup Speaks: Insights to Action’ 8 August 2025 – Zero Waste Himalaya Day. The top polluters were identified through The Himalayan Cleanup audits were conducted across 8 mountain states in which 12500 volunteers cleaned 148 sites and audited 217854 plastic waste collected.

Zero Waste Himalaya and Integrated Mountain Initiative have been anchoring The Himalayan Cleanup since 2018, with a waste and brand audit to name the companies that pollute the Himalaya, and call them out to take responsibility for their plastic waste including designing out of the system. The call is also for the extended producer responsibility rule implementation with targeted focus for the Himalaya that recognises the importance and fragility of the landscape. 

The webinar’s context setting highlighted that existing policies and practices are not sensitive and sufficient to respond to the Himalayan waste crisis, and that there was a need to acknowledge the socio-ecological importance, fragility and challenges of the Himalaya. The need to shift the solution narrative beyond the broom, bin, landfill, burn and roll it downhill and to towards systemic solutions was stressed.The presentation on findings of THC 2025 by Ms. Priya Shrestha, member of Zero Waste Himalaya, highlighted that 217854 plastic waste collected was 93% of the total waste collected. 47% of the plastic waste collected was non-recyclable, thus challenging recycling as a complete solution. There has been a dramatic reduction in the   non-recyclable plastic collected in THC2025 compared to the past 6 years that needs a deeper trends analysis.  53% of plastic waste collected was recyclable and shows that the mountains are struggling with collecting and linking recyclable plastics for processing. 

Food packaging was consistently the highest trashed item at 93% of all plastics that shows the continued trend in the consumption of junk ultraprocessed food and the contribution of Big Food to the Himalayan waste crisis. 52% of food packaging audited was non-recyclable which highlights the limitations of recycling as a solution. 47.5 % of the food packaging was beverage bottles and 11% of it was the energy drink Sting, which had very high consumption among students, though it was not labelled as not recommended for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. While Sting still topped the list, THC2025 showed an increase in the number of energy drinks . The food and waste intersect was highlighted as very concerning for mountain communities, as there is clear evidence showing that junk ultraprocessed food and beverage to be the leading cause of non-communicable diseases and contributing to mental ill health.

Along with the top 10 polluters, Nimoj Industries, Parshuram Packaged Drinking Water, Nestle, Fresho Beverages, Linggi Lehmo Beverages, Haldirams, Pran, Dabur, Mondelez, Reliance were found in the top 20 companies polluting the Indian Himalayan Region from the Himalayan Cleanup 2025. While the top global and national brands have continued their presence as top polluters, THC2025 showed a big jump of local brands and bottled water brands that calls on targeted localised actions to reduce their plastic pollution. RK Paul Chawang, Amyaa – Arunachal Pradesh; Shirshendu S Das, Midway Journey – Assam; Kamlesh Rai, Biruwa – Darjeeling/Kalimpong; Abdul Rashid Bhatt, Kashmir University – Jammu & Kashmir; Preeti Chauhan, Little Green World -Leh Ladakh; Yoyung Shaiza, Enfogal – Manipur; Subhashish Dasgupta, MIMDI – Meghalaya; Mery Chakma, Mizoram Waste Solutions – Mizoram; Niksungla, Living for Environment – Nagaland; Tshering Uden Bhutia, KCC, Sikkim shared their key insights across the Indian Himalayan Region anchoring the THC2025 in their respective states and regions. While there is a need to look at the Himalaya with focussed urgency, contextual nuances across the IHR including local plastic brands and plastic used in religious spaces have to be factored in too in response to the waste crisis. These reflections also committed to taking THC insights as well as the Zero Waste Himalaya movement further into their states and regions through engagement with educational institutions, communities and Swachh Bharat Missions. 

Representatives of GAIA Ambily Adithyan and Break Free from Plastic Miko Alino responded to THC results and insights bringing in National, South Asia and Global perspectives. Miko stressed the need to go beyond the visual narrative of waste as well as end of life management issues and explore multiple pathways including legal and human rights to redress plastic pollution. Curb on production and systemic changes that also ensures a just transition was shared and put into perspective with global negotiations that are underway to end plastic pollution. Ambily shared her continued surprise about the amount of recyclables collected that shows challenges in mountain waste management systems which is not experienced in the big cities. She shared about the inclusion of mountains in the draft EPR policy that was submitted. The need for expanding allies in the health, wellbeing and front of packaging labelling was also expressed. 

Jigme Bhutia, MD SBM (Sikilkim) mentioned that THC had been instrumental in informing local waste management strategies and hoped that the demand of EPR would lead to meaningful outcomes.

Mr Ramesh Negi, President IMI in his closing remarks reiterated the Himalayan agenda and called out the need for mountain sensitive policies and allocation of adequate resources. He called out a development paradigm for the Himalaya that is not extractive and polluting and congratulated the organisers and volunteers of THC for their stewardship.

Mr RP Gurung, founding member of Zero Waste Himalaya and Integrated Mountain Initiative thanked all the participants and speakers for THC2025. He called out the launch of the Plastic Freedom Challenge 2025 where individuals go without plastic for a week coming out of THC as well as calling out Independence Day Celebrations to be plastic free.

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Plastic bags epitomise the use and throw culture that we have embraced, one that focuses on individual existence superseding our communal well-being. Among a long list of single-use plastic products that pile up in landfills and pollute our soil and water; plastic bags may be the most visible and vilified. It must have seen the most number of campaigns launched against it, a poster child of environmental movements, and yet it refuses to go away. The fallout of the rampant use of plastics is highly evident in our mountains, with choked drains and waterways leading to innumerable life-taking landslides, agricultural fields getting clogged and wildlife getting seriously impacted. Plastic litter is also widespread in the mountains and is impossible to retrieve.  

Many state governments and local authorities have notified complete bans on plastic carry bags but almost all have failed in implementation. What does this inability to stop plastic bag use then say about the mountain states’ will and ability to tackle the plastic crisis?

On Plastic Bag Free Day, 3 July, we reflect on mountain states’ actions in responding to the plastic crisis. How effective have plastic bag bans been, what does it mean for the vision of single-use plastic eradication in the country, and the possible pathways to progress towards single-use plastic-free Himalaya?

An online survey on plastic bag bans and their effectiveness across the Indian Himalaya Region was undertaken by the Zero Waste Himalaya and Integrated Mountain Initiative with 315 responses representing Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and UTs of Ladakh and J&K. 

The findings reveal that a very high 82% of respondents were aware of a plastic bag ban in their region with awareness higher in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Mizoram. Yet, the responses highlighting the short-lived or partial effectiveness of the ban across all regions are not encouraging. Only 19% mentioned the high effectiveness of bans, 35% felt bans were not effective at all while 31% mentioned they were effective only for some time. Plastic bags are still in use in all types of markets, from grocery stores to local vegetable markets, to larger supermarket stores as enumerated by the responses.

Source * – Notification for banning, manufacture, use, sale, import, and handling of single-use products. (Parliamentary Response from MoEFCC – 12/2/21). Does not represent data from the district or local bodies
 ** Study on status of plastic bag bans, 2021

The Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 has prescribed a minimum thickness for plastic bags with only 50 microns bags or more being allowed (now proposed to be increased to 120 microns). But the survey has revealed that thin plastic bags of less than 50 microns are still pervasive with 52% of respondents indicating this.

Increased use of non-woven polypropylene (PP) bags, the new avatar of plastic bags which looks like cloth were also reported in the survey. Sikkim and Tripura had a higher number indicating the use of the PP bags. Sikkim’s plastic bag ban is perhaps the oldest, coming into effect way back in 1998 with strict enforcement for some years. The ban came about in response to choked drains that resulted in landslides and deaths. However, the use of polypropylene bags flooding the market in recent years has made the ban ineffective, and the Sikkim Government is considering the inclusion of the non-woven pp bag under the plastic bag ban. 

The black garbage bag has seen rapid escalation and indiscriminate use mainly among hotels and restaurants. The opaque nature of these bags is a deterrent to segregation of waste and biodegradables have poor chances of decomposing.

A new line of bags labeled as biodegradable, compostable, oxo-biodegradable, etc. is the latest addition to the plastic bag alternatives. The use of these types of plastic bags was represented in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura, and J & K responses. Promoted as the ‘greener’ alternative, they are at times more problematic as some of these are just plastic with additives that accelerate the disintegration into microplastics. Compostable claims made are also false, as our landfills where these bags invariably end up, do not provide adequate conditions to biodegrade. CPCB’s stamp of authority on some of these bags is not helping the cause and there is a serious need to relook at such approvals.

Charging for plastic bags is shown to be a good deterrent and even though the rules are explicit on charge for use, 45% of respondents mentioned there were no charges.

Beyond bags and bans: The big picture

Bans on plastic bags have been ineffective in the Indian Himalayan Region and the survey reiterates that they are still rampantly used. A Toxics Link report of 2014 has stated that ‘Ban’ is just one part of the larger solution and in isolation is not as effective as it was thought to be.” Most bans have been promulgated without long-term vision and people’s participation, clarity in implementation procedures, and institutional capacities to vigorously and continuously monitor the ban.

The measure of the success of the ban lies in its execution and citizens need to hold their governments accountable. Institutions have to diligently work towards the implementation of the notifications with a long-term vision and action.

Globally, awareness of plastic pollution and specifically single-use plastics have gained great momentum with countries and cities actively working to turn the tide against the use and throw culture. The debate is no longer only around plastic bags, but much expanded, one that encompasses all single-use plastics and questions single-use.

Half of the plastic ever manufactured has been produced in the past 15 years and over 50% of plastic produced today goes into making single-use plastic (What a Waste 2018). The fossil fuel industry still plans to increase its plastic production by 40% over the next decade. Finite resources being designed into products that are used briefly and trashed instantaneously is simply not sustainable, least of all for a product that pollutes throughout its life cycle.

While the visible and immediate impacts of plastic pollution have become everyday conversations, a deeper crisis of microplastics formed by the breakdown of plastics is also unfolding. Found in the rain, water, soil, salt, and human placenta, micro-plastic is all-pervasive and a serious threat to human and planetary wellbeing.

A Reuse Revolution in the mountains

On August 15, 2019, Prime Minister Modi declared that India would be free from single-use plastics by 2022. This vision can be made possible only by bringing in a reuse revolution to replace all single-use plastics and open up avenues for local groups to engage through green skills and services.

There is a powerful message conveyed through the simple act of carrying your own reusable bag. It is a message that rejects the use and throws mindset while embracing a sustainable lifestyle choice of reuse. Plastic bag-free day is an opportune moment to talk about reuse and reflect on our lifestyles to take steps towards a plastic pollution-free planet. It is an action that changes the narrative in redress of the waste crisis by not producing waste in the first place.

But for change to happen, we need to do much much more. Multitudes of people need to embrace the reuse revolution for our individual actions to add up to a larger whole. People in positions of power and influence must lead by example for others to emulate.

Plastic pollution is a real crisis. This needs to be recognized by the Governments and Local Bodies through policy strengthening and implementation with the strong will, commitment, and urgency that this crisis demands. 

Plastic bag eradication is the stepping stone to single use plastic eradication in the mountains.

Writes: Roshan Rai, Priyadarshinee Shrestha, Rajendra P Gurung. They are core members of the Zero Waste Himalaya platform that works on the issue of waste in the mountains. They are also active members of the Integrated Mountain Initiative.

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For long, ideas of “sustainability” and “Zero waste” were detested and limited to either policy documents or among the academicians and think tanks. The rising consciousness among the civil society has helped these terms gain much extensive appeal; so much so that Zero waste has become a popular cultural movement, a trend and a fashion statement in itself. Zero waste is not a process but a goal, the goal to reach a state where we eliminate waste management by eliminating waste itself. What a layperson would call “waste” is a resource for a zero-waste practitioner. In simple words, conserve and recover everything and not to discard any valuable resource.

From the constrained space of hefty lexicons in books to the popularity of #ZeroWaste on Instagram, the idea of Zero waste has come a long way. The term Zero waste in its present connotation was arguably first used by Dr Paul Palmer who founded Zero Waste Systems Inc in 1974, a time several decades ahead of Gandhi. Noted historian, Ramachandran Guha asserts that one can either hate Gandhi or love Gandhi but cannot ignore Gandhi; I would argue that it would be a fallacy to ignore Gandhian values and practices on the environment. 

Zero-waste philosophy lays great importance on the need to endorse local products and economy; they complement Gandhi’s idea of Swadeshi. Though one may argue that more than an environmental context, Swadeshi holds political significance,  however, Gandhi took an anti-industrialization stance and called Swadeshi as the “economy of nature”. Swadeshi movement has relevance beyond the politics of Indian Independence and held the overarching aim to challenge the monopoly of the market and reclaim the ownership of resources by the community.

We can further argue that when Gandhi preaches against human greed and materialism, he happens to shares an ideological similarity with Zero waste philosophy.

In pursuits of spiritual liberation, Gandhi led a life of an ascetic; he abandoned all worldly pleasures and refused any materialistic consumption. There have been four prominent instances of his experiment with sustainable living; Phoenix settlement in Natal, Tolstoy farm, Sabarmati Ashram and Sevagram in Maharashtra. These ashrams and community livings were places where Gandhi blended ideas of sustainable food production with the natural ecosystem, a practice which is now known as “permaculture”.

Gandhi first practised community living in his Phoenix settlement. With the aim of self-dependency, he promoted garden farming and started growing his food. It was in Phoenix settlement where Gandhi and his German comrade Kallenbach explored the viability of agroforest and got indulged in spreading community awareness on venomous snakes. Further, Tolstoy Farm also saw the practice of conservation values such as minimal living, scavenging and rainwater harvesting.  It was in Tolstoy farm where Gandhi first started making his chappals and reused papers to make envelopes. In India, Sabarmati Ashram was the epicentre of Gandhi’s sustainable practices, he practised spinning and made khadi to promote indigenous ideas. He also gravitated the manuring practice of rotting and composting the leftovers. It was in Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi preached sustainability to the masses and making it a popular movement.

If Sabarmati was the seedbed of sustainability ideas then Sevagram was the plantation site; for he implemented the vast array of sustainable practices in Sevagram. Swatch Bharat Abhiyan got popularized as late at 2014 however it is interesting to note that Gandhi had long recognized the need for public hygiene. It was in Sevagram where he first preached the importance of community hygiene and sanitation practices to the villagers, he fervently preached against public urination. Sevagram became an experimental village in many sense. Sevagram became the space for Gandhi’s explorations with mud houses(against the idea of concretization, which was gaining wider adoption). He further helped set up the handloom enterprise and most importantly conceptualized  Sarvodaya, through his philosophy of Sarvodaya, Gandhi attempted to bind the world under “ecological citizenship” and insisted on subsistence living. This idea of Refusal is another pivotal proposition of Zero-waste philosophy.

Gandhi was very mindful in blending ecological values with ethics and politics and stands as a tall political figure who treated the masses as pivotal allies of change. Gandhi repeatedly emphasized on Grassroot awakening and finding an alternative model of development. Zero waste movement is a grass-roots movement which seeks to challenge the hegemonic authority of capitalist forces; it seeks support from all societal spectrum. Zero waste movements can look up to Gandhian Philosophies to further extend their purview. Although Gandhi didn’t give a structured model of zero-waste, interlinking his philosophies and way of life would shed various parallels between him and the modern Zero-waste lifestyle.  Gandhi’s ecological sensibility harboured the ideals of sustainability and Zero waste. Though Gandhi did not formally write a Zero waste doctrine, we can safely conclude that his life was one. His everyday practices, his political philosophy, his preaching, his eating habits, his sense of fashion – all synced with the ideas of Zero Waste.  Much ahead of his time, Gandhi was a man who followed a Zero-waste lifestyle.

Writes: Abhimanyu Chettri, a student of Developmental Studies at IIT-Hyderabad

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The speakers at the event unanimously called for the plastic industry to take responsibility for their packaging waste, instead of blaming consumers. It was agreed that the Indian government must enforce stringent Extended Producer responsibility (EPR) rules to ensure that plastic producers and brand owners take back their plastic waste instead of shifting the blame to the consumers and costs to the local authorities.

A new report from The Changing Markets Foundation that reveals how, behind a veil of nice-sounding initiatives and commitments to address the plastics crisis – the plastics industry, consumer brands, and retailers have obstructed and undermined proven legislative solutions to the crisis for decades.

The report reveals how plastic producers and brand owners like Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Mars Incorporated, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Perfetti Van Melle, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever who have a joint plastic footprint of almost 10 million tonnes per year, lobby at every level to fight against proven solutions to solve the plastics crisis, which would require them to fully step up their responsibility and take on the true costs of plastic pollution. Instead, they use distraction tactics, which are designed to make people think real change is happening or that responsibility for the problem lies elsewhere.

Nusa Urbancic, Campaigns Director at the Changing Markets Foundation, said: “This report exposes the two-faced hypocrisy of plastic polluters, which claim to be committed to solutions, but at the same time use a host of dirty tricks to ensure that they can continue pumping out cheap, disposable plastic, polluting the planet at a devastating rate. Real solutions, such as mandatory collection of packaging, policies to increase reuse and phase out certain problematic plastic types or products, rarely feature in the voluntary approach and are fiercely fought against if proposed by policy-makers.”

Plastic is pouring out into the natural world at a rate of 8 million tonnes a year, or one garbage truck per minute, and production has skyrocketed, with half of all plastics ever made having been produced since 2005. Production is expected to double again in the next 10 –15 years.

Mr. P. D. Rai, former Member of Parliament from Sikkim said :
“In the Himalayas, the plastic crisis is all-pervading despite the best efforts of the state governments and local Panchayats to ban all plastics. Extended Producer Responsibility, by which companies take back their packaging is the ultimate solution but there must be disincentives and penalties to successfully enforce such laws.”

Ms. Priyadarshinee Shrestha, Zero Waste Himalaya and Secretary of Integrated Mountain Initiative said, “The existing and proposed waste management rules are one size fits all, they do not recognise the fragility of mountains or the ecosystem services they provide. We urgently need to change the narrative from consumer behaviour to producer responsibility. Efforts taken by the corporations to reach their problematic products to remote corners should be matched by efforts to take them back or not make it at all.”

Shibu K N, India Coordinator of GAIA- Asia Pacific, said, “In India, the proposed Uniform Framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (under Plastic waste management rules, 2016) has been formulated with inputs from industry associations to protect their business interests and profits, there was no consultation whatsoever either from State governments or local governments. It is unfortunate to see there is no concrete measures to reduce the use of plastics or safe recovery of plastics.”

Talking Trash report has shown that voluntary initiatives and commitments by the industry rarely work and are in fact used across the world to undermine legislation.

For this reason, policymakers should adopt progressive legislation, built on the following key elements:

1. The Plastic Waste Rules 2016 has clear and time-bound commitments on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which have still not been met despite the lapse of the prescribed deadlines and directions by the National Green Tribunal. The government needs to ensure that producers/brand owners meet their obligations under the rules at the earliest.
2. Develop a binding national packaging policy with timelines and targets.
3. Pass legislation aimed at phasing out of harmful chemicals used in packaging plastics such as BFRs, BPAs, Phthalates, Lead etc.
4. Reverse the 2018 amendment to the plastic waste management rules and reintroduce the 2-year phase-out deadline on multi-layered plastics.
5. Add EPR cess to plastic packaged products to promote non-plastic alternatives and reduce tax tariff for plastic products maintaining a stipulated percentage of recycled content.
6. The 2018 amendment to the plastic waste rules is a regressive step as it promotes false solutions such as mass incineration, cement kiln co-incineration and plastic roads in the guise of recycling. The government should remove these practices from the scope of recycling.
7. Implement minimum recycled-content targets in the production of packaging and containers of at least 50% for beverage containers and at least 30% for other items, as a starting point. This creates a market for effective plastic recycling and maintains plastic in a closed loop without downcycling the material.
8. Central or state governments should consider a tax on virgin plastic, which ensures the use of recycled plastic is incentivized over virgin plastic. This should be accompanied with a clear position on the use of alternative materials, such as bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastic, with justifications for what is – and what is not – good use of these materials.
9. Introduce bans on unnecessary or harmful plastic materials, such as PVC and polystyrene.
10. Prioritise reusable alternatives and act to avoid regrettable substitutions – for example, replacing single-use plastic with other single-use materials, such as bio-based, biodegradable or compostable plastic – which do not fix pollution problems and may also lead to other environmental problems.
11. Indian urban local bodies should support the Zero Waste Cities approach by creating and implementing systems that continuously intend to phase out waste – not by incinerating, landfilling or exporting it, but instead by not generating waste in the first place.
12. India could spearhead the establishment of an intergovernmental negotiating committee at the United Nations Environment Assembly to negotiate a dedicated global agreement – a Convention on Plastic Pollution – that eliminates plastic discharges into the environment while also promoting a safe circular economy for plastics; one that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, from production and design to prevention and waste management.

You can download the full report of the event at https://talking-trash.com or at https://changingmarkets.org/portfolio/talking-trash/

India Case study can be downloaded here: https://talking-trash.com/case-study/india/

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These figures were arrived at as a result of the waste audit organised as part of the cleanup which provide insights to the consumption patterns as well as the type of waste being generated in the mountains. The top 5 polluters by number across the sites were Multi layered plastic such as that of popular snack food items, PET bottles, single use plastic items, other plastic items and tetrapak packaged items.

In Darjeeling most waste cannot be processed locally

Taking the question of who is responsible for the waste, the Himalayan Cleanup included a brand audit which was conducted in collaboration with Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives -GAIA’s national brand audit which has covered 10 cities in India. The brand audit reveals the top brands that are polluting our mountains and demands that the brands take responsibility for the waste through Extended Producer Responsibility mechanisms. The Himalayan Cleanup shows that the top 15 plastic polluters are:

Darjeeling Waste composition as recorded in the audit

The Himalayan Cleanup recommends Mountain Policies to stop single use plastics and to phase out multilayered plastic. Extended producer responsibility especially for multilayered plastic, PET and tetrapak is of utmost necessity. No incineration/burning of waste in the sacred and ecologically sensitive Himalaya is also an important recommendation, for the Himalayan states, where burning is seen as the most common solution. Tourism and defense which have large waste footprints in the mountains need to be integrated into waste management systems. Special resource support to the mountain states needed considering the challenges of geography and connectivity.

Member of Parliament from Sikkim, Shri P D Rai, who delivered the keynote address at the event spoke about the urgent need to address the issue of plastic pollution in the mountains, and that local and regional policies must be strengthened to bring about sustainable waste management.

The Himalayan Cleanup was anchored together by the Integrated Mountain Initiative and Zero Waste Himalaya. IMI works across the 12 mountain states on issues of mountain policies and advocacy. Zero Waste Himalaya is a platform of organisations and individuals that advocates for sustainable waste management practices in the HImalayan region based on principles of zero waste. The group has been actively working across the Sikkim Darjeeling landscape with the relevant government institutions, and also on building a volunteer base with an outreach to schools and colleges. The Zero Waste Himalaya group has been working on waste issues for the past 10 years, and the theme of beat plastic pollution for World Environment Day provided the right opportunity to voice the concerns and challenges of waste in the mountains to a larger audience.

A workshop organised by IMI, ZWH and RMDD on ‘Envisioning Sustainable Waste Management Pathways for the Indian Himalayan Region, May 11 and 12, 2018 at Gangtok paved the way for The Himalayan Cleanup with the participation of 12 mountain states, where the planning for the cleanup was done. The workshop highlighted that mountain states currently had little or no waste management, and the most common practice was to transport and dump, and burning of waste. Mountain specific management issues and policies on waste was also deliberated upon during the workshop, and how zero waste practices could be embedded into the planning processes.

 

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