Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

This Rule shall apply to every waste generator, local body, Gram Panchayat, manufacturer, Importers and producer.

The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 aim to:

• Increase in minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate minimum thickness of 50 micron for plastic sheets also to facilitate collection and recycle of plastic waste
• Expand the jurisdiction of applicability from the municipal area to rural areas, because plastic has reached rural areas also
• To bring in the responsibilities of producers and generators, both in plastic waste management system and to introduce collect back system of plastic waste by the producers/brand owners, as per extended producers responsibility
• To introduce collection of plastic waste management fee through pre-registration of the producers, importers of plastic carry bags/multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same for establishing the waste management system.
  

What's new in Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

• Rural areas have been brought in ambit of these Rules since plastic has reached to rural areas also. Responsibility for implementation of the rules is given to Gram Panchayat.
• First time, responsibility of waste generators is being introduced. Individual and bulk generators like offices, commercial establishments, industries are to segregate the plastic waste at source, handover segregated waste, pay user fee as per bye-laws of the local bodies.
• Plastic products are left littered after the public events (marriage functions, religious gatherings, public meetings etc) held in open spaces. First time, persons organizing such events have been made responsible for management of waste generated from these events.
• Primary responsibility for collection of used multi-layered plastic  sachet or pouches or packaging is of Producers, Importers and Brand Owners who introduce the products in the market
• Use of plastic sheet for packaging, wrapping the commodity except those plastic sheet’s thickness, which will impair the functionality of the product are brought under the ambit of these rules. A large number of commodities are being packed/wrapped in to plastic sheets and thereafter such sheets are left for littered. Provisions have been introduced to ensure their collection and channelization to authorized recycling facilities.
• Every producer shall, for the purpose of registration or for renewal of registration, make an application to the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee  of the Union territory concerned, in Form I
• Every person recycling or processing waste or proposing to recycle or process plastic waste shall make an application to the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee, for grant of registration or renewal of registration for the recycling unit, in Form II.
• Every manufacturer engaged in manufacturer of plastic to be used as raw material by the producer shall make an application to the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee of the Union territory concerned, for the grant of registration or for the renewal of registration, in Form III
• Producers to keep a record of their vendors to whom they have supplied raw materials for manufacturing carry bags, plastic sheets, and multi-layered packaging. This is to curb manufacturing of these products in unorganized sector.
• The entry points of plastic bags/plastic sheets/multi-layered packaging in to commodity supply chain are primarily the retailers and street vendors. They have been assigned the responsibility of not to provide the commodities in plastic bags/plastic sheets/multi-layered packaging which do not conform to these rules. Otherwise, they will have to pay the fine.
• Plastic carry bag will be available only with shopkeepers/street vendors pre-registered with local bodies on payment of certain registration fee. The amount collected as registration fee by local bodies is to be used for waste management.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been mandated to formulate the guidelines for thermoset plastic (plastic difficult to recycle). In the earlier Rules, there was no specific provision for such type of plastic.
• All institutional generators of plastic waste, shall segregate and store the waste generated by them in accordance with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 and handover segregated wastes to authorized waste processing or disposal facilities or deposition centers  either on its own or through the authorized waste collection agency.

For disposal/reuse of plastic waste you can contact the following persons

·        MK merchant, Chennai

·        Deccan recyclers, Hyderabad

·       K.Ganesan & CO, Dindigual, TamilNadu