The Union Government has notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 on March 18, 2016. The rules would suppress the earlier Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. The Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar released the notification in New Delhi.
The draft rules, namely the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2015 were published by the Government of India on May 25, 2015 in the Gazette of India, inviting public objections and suggestions. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 aim to:
- Increase minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate minimum thickness of 50 micron for plastic sheets also to facilitate collection and recycle of plastic waste,
- Expand the jurisdiction of applicability from the municipal area to rural areas, because plastic has reached rural areas also;
- To bring in the responsibilities of producers and generators, both in plastic waste management system and to introduce collect back system of plastic waste by the producers/brand owners, as per extended producers responsibility;
- To introduce collection of plastic waste management fee through pre-registration of the producers, importers of plastic carry bags/multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same for establishing the waste management system;
- To promote use of plastic waste for road construction as per Indian Road Congress guidelines or energy recovery, or waste to oil etc. for gainful utilization of waste and also address the waste disposal issue; to entrust more responsibility on waste generators, namely payment of user charge as prescribed by local authority, collection and handing over of waste by the institutional generator, event organizers.
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New Features
- Thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from 40 microns to 50 microns.
- Rural areas have been brought in ambit of these Rules since plastic has reached to rural areas also. Responsibility for implementation of the rules is given to Gram Panchayat.
- Responsibility of waste generators have been included.
- Persons organising events like marriage or any other Public function will be responsible for management of waste generated.
- Manufacturing and use of non-recyclable multi layered plastic to be phased out in two years.
- CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) has been mandated to formulate the guidelines for thermoset plastic, which is difficult to be recycled.
The Union Minister of state for Environment, Forests and Climate Change said that a minimum of 15, 000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day in India, out of which 9, 000 tonnes is collected and processed, but 6, 000 tonnes of plastic waste is not being collected. The Minister also announced that the rules, which were admissible upto municipal areas, have now been extended to all villages.
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