Recycling: The First Steps to Plastic Circularity

India generates more than 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually—and only a fraction of it is meaningfully recycled. Tackling this mammoth task can begin with small, strategic first steps across the plastics value chain.

At Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF), our belief is that a more efficient waste recycling system requires targeted action from every stakeholder —from governments and brands to recyclers and citizens. As also, thoughtful inclusion strategies for the informal waste sector, which continues to do the bulk of the ground work in India’s recycling ecosystem. Some ideas on what this path could look like.

💡 Reimagining Design and Distribution

The journey to better recycling starts far before plastic becomes waste. It begins with how products are designed, packaged, and distributed.

• Reducing unnecessary packaging—particularly secondary plastic layers—and clearly labelling environmental hazards.
• Minimising plastic blending could enhance recyclability as diverse materials, inks, adhesives, and coatings can make the recycling process harder.
• Implementing testing protocols for products exposed to natural elements, such as garden furniture, may help assess microplastic leakage and long-term degradation.
• Smarter sorting. Visual cues to ease sorting. Tech-led solutions can help recyclers improve quality and output. Ishitva Robotic Systems, a member of MIF’s Scale Up program, is already advancing this area with AI-driven vision systems that enable faster and cleaner sorting.

🏗️ Building Infrastructure That Works

No recycling system can succeed without supportive infrastructure that enables waste to be recovered, sorted, and reused.

• Investing in automated, large-scale sorting systems including AI-powered sorting facilities that will improve efficiency and reduce manual strain. 
• Exploring pilot projects in chemical and biological recycling may offer solutions for handling difficult-to-recycle plastics. Goenvi Technologies, an MIF Scale-Up portfolio company, exemplifies this with its low-emission pyrolysis technology that transforms plastic waste into fuel.
• Promoting ‘Design for Disassembly’ could facilitate easier recycling, enabling products to be broken down into recyclable components through innovations like delayering mechanisms and eco-label removers.

⛓️ Strengthening the Role of Stakeholders

From civil society to brand owners, every stakeholder in the value chain has a role.

• Companies can consider standardising materials and increasing the use of post-consumer recyclates to enhance recyclability.
• Governments could invest in R&D, and fund recycling infrastructure to support circular economy initiatives.
• Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) can support local collectors by providing land, recycling equipment, and initiating public awareness campaigns on waste segregation.
• Consumers can play a vital role by choosing eco-friendly products, segregating waste at home, and advocating for sustainable options.
• Recyclers can adopt safer technologies, build robust upstream partnerships, and minimise the use of hazardous additives into the system.

♻️ Inclusion Strategies for Informal Waste Collectors

Informal waste workers are the unsung heroes of India’s recycling economy. Recognising their role and providing structural support is essential to improving the system as a whole.

• Integrating informal workers into official collection systems at the urban local body level could enhance efficiency and inclusivity.
• Encouraging collectives and the formation of member-based organisations can give informal workers collective bargaining power and improved access to benefits.

India has the opportunity to become a global leader in plastic circularity. It starts with intentional, inclusive, and incremental action. And every small step counts. MIF remains committed to amplifying the innovators and institutions leading this change. Because the future of plastic is not waste—it’s possibility. 

Read more in MIF’s first-of-its-kind playbook that focuses on innovations that can help build a resilient circular economy for plastics in India. The full report is here. 

Explore Scale-Up companies in our Plastic Waste Management portfolio here.