Plastic Waste Management Rules,
2016
his Rule shall apply to every waste generator, local body, Gram
Panchayat, manufacturer, Importers and producer.
The Plastic Waste Management
Rules, 2016 aim to:
·
Increase in 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.
What's new in Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016
·
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.
·
First time, responsibility of
waste generators is being introduced. Individual and bulk generators like
offices, commercial establishments, industries are to segregate the plastic
waste at source, handover segregated waste, pay user fee as per bye-laws of the
local bodies.
·
Plastic products are left
littered after the public events (marriage functions, religious gatherings,
public meetings etc) held in open spaces. First time, persons organizing such
events have been made responsible for management of waste generated from these
events.
·
Primary responsibility for
collection of used multi-layered plastic sachet or pouches or
packaging is of Producers, Importers and Brand Owners who introduce the
products in the market
·
Use of plastic sheet for
packaging, wrapping the commodity except those plastic sheet’s thickness, which
will impair the functionality of the product are brought under the ambit of
these rules. A large number of commodities are being packed/wrapped in to
plastic sheets and thereafter such sheets are left for littered. Provisions
have been introduced to ensure their collection and channelization to
authorized recycling facilities.
·
Every producer shall, for the
purpose of registration or for renewal of registration, make an application to
the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control
Committee of the Union territory concerned, in Form I
·
Every person recycling or
processing waste or proposing to recycle or process plastic waste shall make an
application to the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control
Committee, for grant of registration or renewal of registration for the
recycling unit, in Form II.
·
Every manufacturer engaged in
manufacturer of plastic to be used as raw material by the producer shall make
an application to the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control
Committee of the Union territory concerned, for the grant of registration or
for the renewal of registration, in Form III
·
Producers to keep a record of
their vendors to whom they have supplied raw materials for manufacturing carry
bags, plastic sheets, and multi-layered packaging. This is to curb
manufacturing of these products in unorganized sector.
·
The entry points of plastic
bags/plastic sheets/multi-layered packaging in to commodity supply chain are
primarily the retailers and street vendors. They have been assigned the
responsibility of not to provide the commodities in plastic bags/plastic sheets/multi-layered
packaging which do not conform to these rules. Otherwise, they will have to pay
the fine.
·
Plastic carry bag will be
available only with shopkeepers/street vendors pre-registered with local bodies
on payment of certain registration fee. The amount collected as registration
fee by local bodies is to be used for waste management.
·
Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) has been mandated to formulate the guidelines for thermoset
plastic (plastic difficult to recycle). In the earlier Rules, there was no
specific provision for such type of plastic.
·
All institutional generators
of plastic waste, shall segregate and store the waste generated by them in
accordance with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000
and handover segregated wastes to authorized waste processing or disposal
facilities or deposition centers either on its own or through the
authorized waste collection agency.