MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a): The Ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, vide GSR NO. 571 (E) on 12th August 2021, in the Gazette of India, prohibiting identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, by 2022.As per the notification, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic commodities, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022.The thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy five microns with effect from 30th September, 2021, and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022.
Separately,34 States/UTs have issued notifications/orders introducing regulations pertaining to complete or partial ban on plastic carry bags and/or identified single-use plastic items, over and above the PWM Rules. The details are annexed. As per Annual Report submitted by Central Pollution Control Board, there is a complete ban on use, store & sale of plastic carry bags in Rajasthan.
(b):The Central Pollution Control Board has issued “Guidelines for Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Waste Generated during Treatment/Diagnosis/ Quarantine of COVID-19 Patients”. The Guidelines provide steps for handling, treatment and disposal of wastes including plastic wastes. There is a separate section dealing with disposal of personal protective equipment including waste masks and gloves being generated from households, commercial establishments, shopping malls, institutions, offices etc.
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and its amendments, mandate the generators of waste 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 also mandate the responsibilities of local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators, retailers and street vendors to manage plastic waste.
Further, to track the generation and disposal of COVID-19 Bio-medical Waste (BMW), CPCB has developed an app namely COVID19 BMW. The biomedical waste generated between June-2020 to June-2021 is 56898.4 tonnes.
(c):The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has taken steps to encourage transition from single use plastic items to alternate materials. NITI Aayog has already constituted a Committee to find out/develop an alternative product to plastic. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate change has shared with States/UTs an indicative Action Plan for elimination of identified single use plastics. This indicative Action Plan has a thematic area on development and promotion of alternatives to prohibited single use plastic items and promoting innovation.
(d) & (e):The Central Pollution Control Boardin its report on “Impact of Plastic Waste Disposal on Soil and Water Quality at Lucknow Dumpsites” had found that dumping of plastic waste can deteriorate soil and underground water quality due to leaching of additives, colourants, stabilizers and fillers present in the different categories of plastic products.
As per Rule 12 of the PWM Rules, 2016, 25 States/Union Territories (UTs) have taken action against deviations reported under the Rules in their respective States/UTs, including on manufacturing of Plastic Carry bags/Plastic sheets of thickness less than 50 microns.
With reference to managing plastic packaging waste, the Ministry has notified the draft Regulations on the Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended from time to time, in the Gazette of India vide GSR No. 722 (E) on 6th October, 2021for public consultation.
Further, the following steps have been taken to strengthen implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and also to reduce the use of identified single use plastic items:
(i) The States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force under Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary/Administrator for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Already, 19States/UTs have constituted the Special Task Force till date. A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The first meeting of the National Task Force was held on 30th August 2021 for reviewing the progress made for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
(ii) The State /UT Governments and concerned Central Ministries/Departments have also been requested for the development of a comprehensive action plan for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and its implementation in a time bound manner.
(iii) Directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, have been issued to all States/Union Territoriesinter alia for setting up for institutional mechanism for strengthening enforcement of Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016.
(iv) The Government has been taking measures for awareness generation towards elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. A two month long Awareness Campaign of Single Use Plastic 2021 has been organized. The Ministry has also organized pan India essay writing competition on the theme for spreading awareness amongst school students in the country. To encourage innovation in development of alternatives to identified single use plastic items and digital solutions to plastic waste management, the India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021, has been organized for students of Higher Educational Institutions and startups recognized under Startup India Initiative.
(v) A total financial allocation of Rs. 1,41,678 crores over a period of 5 years from 2021-2026 has been made under Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, with a focus on complete faecal sludge management and waste water treatment, source segregation of garbage, reduction in single-use plastic, reduction in air pollution by effectively managing waste from construction-and-demolition activities and bio-remediation of all legacy waste dump sites.
Further, under SBM (U) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released advisory on plastic waste management, capturing plastic waste generation, plastic waste management rules and various ways to manage plastic waste through reduce, recycle and recovery techniques. Single use plastic ban has been incorporated as an important component in Swachh Survekshan 2022, Star rating of Garbage Free Cities and as an entry condition for participating in Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, to reduce plastic waste.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase II, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, has issued operational guidelines to the States and Union Territories for the sustainability of open defecation free status and solid and liquid waste management in rural areas which includes plastic waste management.
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