Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2024
Source: The Hindu
GS III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Overview
- News in Brief
- Key Facts Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2024
Why in the News?
The Environment Ministry has introduced rules that make it harder for makers of disposable plastic ware to label such products as ’biodegradable’, introducing a stipulation that they must not leave any microplastics behind.
News in Brief
- Biodegradable plastic and compostable plastic are projected as the two broad kinds of technological fixes to India’s burgeoning problem of plastic waste pollution.
- The provisions came into force on 14-3-2024.
- The amendments aim to enhance plastic waste management practices in the country.
Key Facts Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2024
Change in Defenition
- Biodegradable plastics
- This means plastics, other than compostable plastics, which undergo degradation by biological processes in specific environments such as soil, landfill, sewage sludge, fresh water, and marine, without leaving any microplastics or visible or distinguishable or toxic residue, which have adverse environmental impact.
- Importer
- The earlier definition was only for plastic packaging/ carry bags or MLP, but now it includes various plastic resins/ Pellets/ intermediate materials used for manufacturing plastic packaging/films/ preforms for commercial use.
- Manufacturer
- A person engaged in the production of plastic raw materials, including compostable plastics and biodegradable plastics.
- Earlier, Compostable and Biodegradable plastic were not included
- Producer
- Persons engaged in the manufacture of plastic packaging; and, include a person engaged in the manufacture of intermediate material to be used for manufacturing plastic packaging.
- Also, the person engaged in contract manufacturing of products using plastic packaging or through other similar arrangements for a brand owner.
- Seller
- This means a person who sells plastic raw materials such as resins or pellets or intermediate materials used for producing plastic packaging.
- Now new entity Seller has been included in the definition.
Other Amendments
- Rule 4 relates to Conditions and the provision relating to selling of raw material has been revised. Earlier, only the producer who had a valid registration from the State Pollution Control Boards or Pollution Control Committee could get the raw materials from the manufacturer.
- Rule 7-A relating to the Responsibility of Panchayat at the District level has been inserted which lays down similar responsibilities the local body has to assess.
- Rule 11 on Marking or Labelling
- The commodity made from compostable plastic will have to bear a label compostable only under industrial composting.
- Shall conform to the Indian Standard: IS/ISO 17088:2021 titled as Specifications for Compostable Plastics.
- The commodity made from biodegradable plastic will have to bear the label Biodegradable in, specify the number of days, only in the specified recipient environment such as soil, landfill, water etc.
- Manufacturer Commitment
- Manufacturers of compostable plastic/ biodegradable plastic carry bags or commodities permitted under the rules, will have to obtain a certificate from the Central Pollution Control Board (‘CPCB’) before marketing or selling.
- Manufacturers of compostable plastic/ biodegradable plastic will have to inform the CPCB, the quantity of such commodities introduced in the market and the pre-consumer waste generated by it.
- Duty of Local Body
- The plastic waste generated.
- Plastic waste management infrastructure is available for collection/ segregation/ processing and send a report to the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee by 30th June of each year.
- Measures to prevent stocking, distribution, sale and usage of prohibited single-use plastic items in their jurisdiction.
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