Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
Context
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
- It sinks in with the clarion call to phase out single use plastic by 2022, keeping in view the adverse impacts of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
About the Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021
- This prohibits identified single use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
- The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022:-
- ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration
- plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers
- In order to stop littering due to light weight plastic carry bags, with effect from 30th September, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022.
- This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.
Plastic Pollution
- Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries.
- India is committed to take action for mitigation of pollution caused by littered Single Use Plastics.
- In the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, India had piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution, recognizing the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue.
- The adoption of this resolution at UNEA 4 was a significant step.
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Steps taken by the government for waste management
- The waste management infrastructure strengthened through the Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016
- Special Task Force for elimination of single use plastics
- 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.
- Awareness generation towards elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
