(a) whether the Government has taken note of increasing plastic waste in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has formulated any action plan to recycle and re-use the plastic waste; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)
(a)and (b) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) conducted study in 60 major cities of India. It has been estimated that around 4059 T/day of plastic waste is generated from these cities. Extrapolating this plastic waste generation data from 60 major cities to the entire country, it is estimated that around 25,940 T/day of plastic waste is generated in India.
(c) and (d) The Government has notified Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. As per the provisions of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the generators of waste have been mandated to take steps to minimize generation of plastic waste, not to litter the plastic waste, ensure segregated storage of waste at source and handover segregated waste to local bodies or agencies authorised by the local bodies. The rules have also mandated the responsibilities of local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators, retailers and street vendors to manage the plastic waste. The rules mandate the producers, importers and brand owners to work out modalities for waste collection system based on Extended Producer Responsibility. CPCB has also issued guidelines for utilization of plastic waste in road construction, cement kilns and usage as liquid RDF (oil).
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