Plastic Waste Management

Plastic Waste Management:

• Plastic has multiple uses and the physical and chemical properties lead to commercial success. However, the indiscriminate disposal of plastic has become a major threat to the environment. In particular, the plastic carry bags are the biggest contributors of littered waste and every year, millions of plastic bags end up in to the environment vis-a-vis soil, water bodies, water courses, etc and it takes an average of one thousand years to decompose completely. Therefore, to address the issue of scientific plastic waste management, the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 were notified in Feb 2022, which included plastic waste management.
• The following entities shall be covered under the Extended Producer Responsibility obligations and provisions of these guidelines namely:
1. Producer (P) of plastic packaging.
2. Importer (I) of all imported plastic packaging and / or plastic packaging of imported products
3. Brand Owners (BO) including online platforms/marketplaces and supermarkets/retail chains
4. Plastic Waste Processors.
• The following entities shall register on the centralized portal developed by Central Pollution Control Board namely: -
1. Producer (P)
2. Importer (I)
3. Brand owner (BO)
4. Plastic Waste Processor engaged in
• recycling,
• waste to energy
• waste to oil
• industrial composting