Govt to Amend India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules; What it Means & How You Can Help

With an aim to minimise plastic generation, ensure non-littering and proper segregation of plastic waste, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016.

Primarily, these rules impose several responsibilities on local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators, retailers and street vendors to manage and reduce plastic waste. However, over a period of time, these 2016 rules have been amended to include new and improved provisions to make plastic waste management more effective. Among these is a concept called Extended Producer Responsibility, which was added by way of a recent amendment in 2021.

This Extended Producer Responsibility casts an additional responsibility on the producer, importer, and brand owner to adopt environmentally sound approaches to dispose of plastic waste, at both pre-consumer and post-consumer plastic packing levels.

Now, through the latest draft amendment, the Ministry is seeking to introduce guidelines that would provide a framework for effectively implementing Extended Producer Responsibility.

The guidelines provide the roles and responsibilities of producers, importers, brand owners, Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, Pollution Control Committees, recyclers and waste processors.

Along with this, the draft also proposes imposing environmental compensation on those manufacturers and producers who do not adhere to these rules.

Watch this video to learn more about what this draft amendment covers:

You can also read a summary of this draft amendment and share your thoughts and feedback with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change through this online portal civis.vote.

The deadline for giving your feedback on this draft amendment to the Plastic Waste Management Rules is 19 March 2022.

Written by Shonottra Kumar, Senior Associate for Communications and Outreach, Civis.Vote

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