From what I was told from an Indian man, there used to be a culture of clay making.
People would eat and drink from clay cups and bowls and toss them on the streets. Others would take those broken clay pieces and remodel them into more cups and bowls.
Since the introduction of plastics, tha tossing away of garbage has just piled up and become un-recyclable waste.
Having been to India as well, there is absolutely zero infrastructure for waste disposal, so whatever can get burned does, but it is far from enough.
You should see the Ganges river, it is absolutely disgusting. By the end of the river it is more slime than water.