Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

The plastic carry bags are the biggest contributors to the littered waste. Every year, millions of plastic bags end up in the environment on land, soil, water bodies, which take an average of one thousand years to decompose completely.

• To address the issue of scientific plastic waste management, new regulations namely, the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 were notified in 2011 with an aim to improve plastic waste management. However, the implementation of these rules was not effective as their scope was limited to notified municipal areas and excluded rural areas of the country.
• To address these issues and with an objective to set up self-sustainable waste management system, the Ministry notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

The Rules provide for -

• Increase in minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulating minimum thickness of 50 microns for plastic sheets being used for packaging and wrapping commodities.
• It makes local bodies responsible for development and setting up of infrastructure for segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of the plastic waste either on its own or by engaging agencies or producers.
• Gram Panchayat has the responsibility to operationalise and co-ordinate waste management in the rural areas.
• Ways and means to promote gainful utilization of plastic waste such as energy recovery, in road construction, etc.
• Registrations from the Pollution Control authorities for the manufacture of plastic carry bags.
• Marking or labeling of plastic bags with manufacturer name, registration etc.
• Revamped pricing mechanisms for plastic carry bags by introducing plastic waste management fee to be paid by retailers/street vendors willing to provide carry bags.
• Producers, Importers and Brand Owners have the Primary responsibility of collection of used multi-layered plastic packaging, sachets etc. known as Extended Producer’s Responsibility.

Amendments in 2018: In 2018, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released new amendments to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Key Highlights: A New Central registration system shall be established by CPCB for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.

• The new rules provide that any mechanism for the registration should be “automated” and should take into account ease of doing business for producers, recyclers and manufacturers.
• The earlier rule for providing the plastic waste management fee, by the vendors/shopkeepers who are willing to provide plastic bags, has been removed in the new amended rule.
• The 2016 Rules state that the manufacture and use of “non-recyclable multi-layered plastic” should be phased out in two years.
• As per the new rules, non-recyclable multi-layered plastic has been replaced with “multi-layered plastic” which is non-recyclable or with no alternate use.

Amendments in 2021: The rules were further amended in 2021.

• It bans the following items from 1st July, 2022:-
  • ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration
  • plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.
  • The thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns.
  • The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase out of identified single use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility mechanism.
  • For effective implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility the Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility being brought out have been given legal force through Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.