Extended Producer Responsibility guidelines to strengthen circular economy and aid in development of recycling infrastructure for plastic packaging waste

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today gave the details of plastic waste generated in the country during the last five years as per the Annual Reports of Central Pollution Control Board. The details are given below:

The Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWMR), 2016, provides the statutory framework for management of plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner throughout the country.

In the written reply it was stated that there is no proposal under consideration at present for launching a Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) in the biodegradable and recyclable plastics sector. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, provide the statutory framework for use of compostable plastic conforming to Indian Standard IS: 17088 after certification by Central Pollution Control Board before marketing or selling. As per Plastic Waste Management (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022, biodegradable plastics shall conform to the standard notified by Bureau of Indian Standards and certified by Central Pollution Control Board before marketing or selling.

It was stated that keeping in view that unmanaged and littered plastic waste has adverse impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, have already been prohibited, with effect from 1st July, 2022, vide Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 notified on 12^th August 2021. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also notified the Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging vide Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022, on 16th February 2022.

The objective of enforceable obligations of minimum level of recycling of plastic packaging waste under Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility is to strengthen circular economy of plastic packaging waste and development of recycling infrastructure for plastic packaging waste. Schemes of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India, are available for technical and financial assistance for development of recycling infrastructure for plastic waste, as per scheme guidelines.