(a) whether the Government has taken note of instances of illegal import of plastic waste into the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon;
(c) whether the Government has taken note of the excessive use of plastic by e-Commerce platforms;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the action taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)
(a) and (b): As per information provided by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Financefew instancesof illegal imports of plastic waste have been were reported in Gujarat zone, Meerut zone, Thiruvananthapuram zone and Mumbai III Zone. In these cases, actions have been taken as per procedure including imposition of redemption fines, penalties, instructions for re-export etc.Further, the Ministry has prohibited import of plastic waste into the country videnotification the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2019 G.S.R.178(E) dated 1 March 2019, which is effective from 1 September 2019.
(c) to (e): The producers, importers and brand owners using plastic have been mandated to work out modalities for waste collection system based on the principle of Extended Producer responsibility (EPR),as per Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules 2016, for environmentally sound management of plastic waste. As per rules, plastic sheet or like, which is not an integral part of multi-layered packaging and cover made of plastic sheet used for packaging, wrapping the commodity, including those by e-commerce platforms, shall not be less than fifty microns in thickness except where the thickness of such plastic sheets impair the functionality of the product. Further, Plastic carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic less than fifty microns in thickness are also prohibited.
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